Royal Navy Problems
The latest edition of "British Warships & Auxiliaries" is out and the introduction, as usual, has a long ish op-ed piece by a well known naval writer.
Much of it is already known but I was surprised by the list of concerns the latest one has - they include:-
1. The absence of plans to fit SAM defence to the carriers
2. The need for in flight refueling for the F-35's ( a well discussed issue re the USN but first time I've seen it mentioned with regard to the RN)
3. Exactly which vessel the Merlin HC4's wil operate from
4. The concentration of vessels in CSG21 - Carier, 2 x T45 (out of 6) , 2 ASW T23's (out of 8), 1 SSN (out of 6 currently in operation) and a supply vessel
5. T45 Daring has been in Portsmouth harbour since 2017 as a training ship and will go into refit in early 2021 for at least 12 months - when she comes out she will have been out of front line service for at least 5 years
6. T45's still have no cruise missile capability and Harpoon is almost obsolescent
7. T26 's are now £ 1.3 Bn each and taking 2 years to build - no new ASW frigates until 2027 at the earliest
8. The RN only holds a stock of 60 Tomahawks for reasons no-one seems to understand.
9. The latest (4th) Astute SSN has been delayed by over 18 months due to "emergent technical issues" - this delay will push back further SSN's and the SSBN programme. The RN currently has 3 Astutes and 3 Trafalgar's in commission.