Originally Posted by
mahogany bob
Any chance of getting off the rather boring subject of - why the spares took so long - and get back to the rather vital topics of.
. should the carrier be the other side of the world when tensions in Europe are so high ? - according to some we are AT WAR !
and should we concentrate on EUROPE / home defence rather than WORLDWIDE operations ?
. Are carriers too vulnerable in a real war ?
. Does the RN really enjoy having carriers to the detriment of other assets ?
The questions are excellent, and deserve serious answers.
But while spares support (and the ability to put them to use) may be boring and indeed uninspiring to some, nevertheless it is MoD policy that a minimum 15 years support is guaranteed (as far as possible) before being granted funding to proceed to production, and must be in place (x) months before the ISD. Unless of course that mandate has been diluted along with many others relating to certification and acceptance off-contract. I do recall some years ago a beancounter making a name for himself by saying 'The MTBF is xxxx hours, therefore we don't need support for x years after ISD'. Two problems. MTBF is not the measure by which one calculates spares support, it's MTBR. And that one failure in xxxx hours may occur upon unloading the truck delivering the first batch of spares. (Some old Sea King HAS Mk5 hands from Culdrose might remember that one. The only radar Modulator Deck was dropped, and it took 5 years to get a replacement).