Do the right sort of people get employed by the MOD? Several years ago I stumbled on a page on the net about some Social Science graduate who had left university and walked into a job in procurement working on JCA. This is true - unfortunately.
Perhaps I am being unfair on this individual, but to take a graduate in a non technical subject with no relevant experience..........
...although the tupperwares were binned, "cos it can all be done with UUV"...
Hmm. Who decided this, and why? Have they thought this one through? Off the top of my head I can't help wondering:
How will these things be launched and recovered?
How will they be controlled?
Will they need maintenance, refuelling, recharging?
Will they just find the mines (in which case you still need a means of disposal) or will they destroy them themselves?
Will a one shot UUV not be prohibitively expensive? Cheaper to build new Minehunters, using non magnetic steel would be cheaper than GRP.
How will a UUV signal to the Tasking Authority that a mine has been found? Or neutralised?
How would the boundary of a minefield be established if no suitably equipped surface vessels (ie with specialist minehunting sonar which is different from the sort used for finding subs - with totally different transducers) are available?
Wouldn't it be more sensible to see UUVs as being the weapon of cheaper, non GRP Minehunters? Instead of the UUVs doing all the searching, find the minefield with minehunting sonar, then use it to locate and identify individual mines, then send the UUV........not very different from the current approach?
Will UUVs really be cheaper (in terms of £ per mine destroyed)?
What about the routine route survey and patrol work undertaken by MCMvs and Minehunters? Will there be extra patrol and survey vessels? If so, will they cost of these be taken into consideration by the "UUVs are cheaper" brigade? Will it appear to be cheaper as it would come out of another part of the budget?
Would I be right in suspecting that the people who came up with this policy lack the imagination and insight that unmanned may not be cheaper or more effective?
Mines are a threat worldwide, particularly in the littoral. Lack of effective and reliable MCM capabilities may cause forces to stay further offshore than desired, increasing transit times for carrierborne aircraft. This is a particular issue for helicopters.
On a slightly happier note, the
Sea Harrier wins again.