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Russia to import two helicopter ships with technical documentation - minister
31.10.2010
MOSCOW, October 31 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia will import two helicopter ships with technical documentation for building similar vessels at domestic shipyards, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in an interview with the Rossiya channel’s Vesti Nedeli program. First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin said at the Euronaval 2010 naval show on October 26 that the ministry had announced a helicopter ship tender.
Good idea...we have already sold warships to Romania and in doing so made ourselves a handsome profit.... Maybe we could do the same with HMS Ark Royal and HMS Ocean.... and therefore we could afford to keep the Nimrod MRA4 ?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 70
Posts: 9,354
Certainly the Invincible class is a combat proven and highly seaworthy design. Flexible too, could even carry a number of fixed-wing aircraft too. They would also be available on the second-hand market.
I must be seeing things. Did you really just argue the case for selling Navy assets to keep an RAF asset?! As much as I agree with your statement I can't believe this is coming from you of all people! BV
Yeah, maybe you are right.... OK, they can have HMS Ark Royal (it is 32 years old and pretty knackered) but we get to keep HMS Ocean (quite new but pretty slow and very vulnerable )
QE class won't go for 50 years but you can't procure ships on the basis that they will be knackered after 25....So you programme them to last for 50 years knowing full well that they won't reach anywhere near that mark. Bear in mind however that the stipulation was that it should remain in service for 50 years....Not remain in British service for 50 years.... In 2050 when they are 35 years old we will sell them both to India.
However, there are plenty of examples of equipment still going after 30 years... Lynx Helicopters entered service in 1977, INS Viraat (HMS Hermes) has just come out of its 11th refit and is now 47 years old, HMS Liverpool is 32 as is HMS Manchester. Sea King HAS 1 first flew in 1969 making it 41.
Looking at the Indian carrier building program, I think we'll be the ones buying second hand from them in future. I wonder if they'll do a deal for the old Hermes now it's been refitted! (laugh)
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 70
Posts: 9,354
Quote:
Originally Posted by vecvechookattack
you can't procure ships on the basis that they will be knackered after 25....So you programme them to last for 50 years knowing full well that they won't reach anywhere near that mark.
You know that, and I know that, but the politicos do not know that, nor would they wish to.
Bringing Lynx and Sea king in to the argument might beat the air a bit and muddy the waters but we were talking about things that float.
Unlike the RN the RAF looks after its kit - Dominie 1966 and still going, VC10 1966, C130K 1965, Tornado 1982, Tri-Star 1984 (2nd Hand). The RAF might like to change all its aircraft on a 25-30 year cycle but we don't.
Even the Army got rid of a perfectly adequate Abbot SPG after 30 years.
Unlike the RN the RAF looks after its kit - Dominie 1966 and still going...
...OK, I'll bite. Note smilies.
Perhaps it's because "salt spray" is a near-permanent reality for the large chunks of metal in the grey funnel line, and their aircraft; and because steel rather than aluminium is a necessity for naval construction.
Or perhaps the RAF fleet has lasted longer because during the last century, the RAF didn't fly at weekends, near happy hour, or if there was a risk of rainspots on the paintwork over the third diversionary airfield
In my "STAB infanteer" mode, I did a School of Infantry course in the early 1990s with a young helicopter pilot who was doing "useful" stuff while waiting for his next flying course. Apparently, after being stood up by the SH fleet in the Province and having to tab back to base in the rain, even he had been heard to mutter "f***ing RAF"...
...oh, and I've been at Journey's End when the Puma turned up. Gits beat us at volleyball, too...
Many years ago I was the deck Sup for a large ASW squadron on the Illustrious. As we were due to disembark and go straight on leave after a long deployment, the AEO decided to get ahead of the program and foam wash all the cabs. We duely obtained all the gear (rags, foam wash compound etc) from the bowels of the ship and rigged it all on deck. As usual the Harrier (all navy) boys pitched up after the hard work was done and decided they wanted to wash their cabs too, so being good guys, we agreed that we would do 2 A/C then they could do 2, then back to us and so on. Being evil scheming Zoomies, they proceeded to then keep the gear and do all their cabs, refusing to keep to the original plan. When they had finished they dumped the gear where they stood and went off chuckling about naive Pingers who do all donkey the work for them.
I waited until we had possession of the foam wash gear and set my guys to work again, then I strolled over to the Zoomie Watch Chief who was about to start “chopping” his guys for an early night of beer and festivities of “up channel night”.
“Excuse me Chief” I said.
“Yeh, what can I do for you, no hard feelings I hope?” he replied.
“No not at all Chief, I just wondered who to give this gear to when we finish”, I said casually.
“What are you on about?” he replied, We’ve finished.
Smiling, I replied, “that’s what I thought too until I saw your guys rinsing all the jets with that centre reel fire fighting hose”. (salt water)
“Have a nice night!”
Oh what a sweet feeling!
While more than a few in green have been heard to exclaim "thank God the Navy's here" as a Jungly Wessex/SK4 hove into view. 845/6 became very popular with my lot in Bosnia.
