HMS Argyll completes Sea Ceptor firings

[Heathrow Harry]

Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll completes Sea Ceptor firings - Janes


http://www.janes.com/images/assets/616/76616/1717237_-_main.jpg

Firing trials of the GWS 35 Sea Ceptor air defence system have been successfully completed on board HMS Argyll. Source: MBDA

The UK Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll has successfully completed final first of class firing trials of the GWS 35 Sea Ceptor local area anti-air missile system ahead of formal acceptance into service planned for early 2018.

Two salvo firings were performed from Argyll during a two- week period in late October/early November. GWS 35 is being retrofitted to all 13 RN Type 23 frigates to replace the GWS 26 Mod 1 VL Seawolf (VLSW) point defence missile system as part of the frigate capability sustainment programme.

Developed and manufactured by MBDA under the umbrella of the company’s portfolio management agreement with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Sea Ceptor system is founded on MBDA’s Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) munition. CAMM employs active radar homing, supported by mid-course guidance updates, to deliver an all-weather engagement capability against targets out to a range of 25 km. Another major feature of the CAMM munition is the use of a ‘soft’ vertical launch system. The missile is ejected from its canister by a piston driven by an explosive gas charge incorporated within the canister; once at height, aft-mounted gas thrusters effect a turnover manoeuvre before the main motor fires.

Argyll completed a first set of first of class firing trials on the MoD’s Hebrides range in July 2017. This campaign saw three separate firing serials, each involving the launch of a single CAMM missile against Mirach 100/5 targets. The second and final set of firing trials, also conducted on the MoD Hebrides range, was designed to test GWS 35 against a more complex and stressing threat set.

[Just This Once...]

Ahh the flowerpot men launchers in a nice walled garden by the bridge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/985000/images/_986080_flowerpot.jpg
Still, good to see capability on the rise.

[glad rag]

Suppose the good thing about it being active is you can lob it oth.

You CAN can't you?

[Pitchpoller]

Ahh the flowerpot men launchers in a nice walled garden by the bridge. :p

against targets out to a range of 25 kmWoo! Spooky. We could damn nearly dominate seaspace beyond visual range of Frinton with stuff like that.

That'll have them fuzziewuzzies scared. They don't like it up 'em, yer know Cap'n.

[ORAC]

Have grown up watching missiles do majestic curves the sudden violent reorientation then burn of the Ceptor is.... unusual.

https://youtu.be/Zl-US7xdIX4

[Just This Once...]

It starts to give an inclining just how far ASRAAM will go when rail-launched, in thinner air, from a platform that gives it quite a bit of energy at launch....

[rjtjrt]

I am surprised at the spread out/lack of density of the launcher/“missile farm”.

I had read somewhere it can be quad packed in a US style ship launcher (?Mk something or other). Not sure how if it uses a piston to eject it before firing engine. If it can be quad packed, why the acreage for the Type 23 launcher?

[Bing]

If it can be quad packed why the acreage for the Type 23 launcher.

Probably a legacy of the Sea Wolf fit, it looks like the same tube positions.

[Bing]

:p

Woo! Spooky. We could damn nearly dominate seaspace beyond visual range of Frinton with stuff like that.

That'll have them fuzziewuzzies scared. They don't like it up 'em, yer know Cap'n.

Point defence missile system lacks strategic capability shocker...

[Frostchamber]

It's designed to be a local area air defence system. So a useful step up from Seawolf which was pure point defence, it can also defend consorts. And yes the fit in T23 deliberately re-used the tube layout that Seawolf used, to reduce cost and structural impact.

[PDR1]

Point defence missile system lacks strategic capability shocker...


Indeed. In life there are the people who do stuff, and those who just sit on the sidelines and jeer.


PDR

[WE Branch Fanatic]

Just remember that for a few years frigates with Sea Wolf (which can provide extended point defence) will continue to deploy into harm's way, therefore one hopes GWS 26/SWMLU/911 will continue to be supported, despite the drive for cuts.

[glad rag]

Well yes WE, pity they have to remove one system imo.

[Chris Kebab]

That is a very neat video, what a design. Quite startling to guys of my generation used to seeing traditional launches.

Presumably the Safety Case for this has to include both it not rotating (which would look interesting from the ship:eek:) and it pivoting the wrong way and heading in the wrong direction?

[k3k3]

I suppose it saves scorching the paint on the deck.

[tonker]

Unless the rocker motor doesn’t engage! What goes up......

[Heathrow Harry]

Looks like it actually goes off at a slight angle before rolling over

[sycamore]

Don`t the trials include heavy sea,and hard manoeuvering launches....?

[Heathrow Harry]

Probably can't afford to test missiles in all conditions. Sounds like 1 fired at simple target, 1 fired at tough target (?low level?) and 2 fired at once at 2 targets

Posted picture looks like pretty benign conditions TBH

[Octane]

https://youtu.be/XjwZiF4CnAQ

He perhaps owns the world record for the 7 metre sprint?

[Rhino power]

https://youtu.be/XjwZiF4CnAQ

He perhaps owns the world record for the 7 metre sprint?

Not to mention the world record for the speed at which a pair of underpants can be soiled! :ooh:

-RP

[Octane]

Hi Rhino,

What mystifies me is why the hell he was strolling around on that aft deck in the first place. Surely before a missile launch (assuming it was a test) there would have been briefings, announcements and warning sirens/ bells whatever beforehand?! If it was a combat situation I thought he would have been wearing combat anti flash gear etc. But he just looked like someone sneaking a ciggy with obviously absolutely no idea what was going on or about to happen... Odd!

[henra]

Hi Rhino,
What mystifies me is why the hell he was strolling around on that aft deck in the first place. Surely before a missile launch (assuming it was a test) there would have been briefings, announcements and warning sirens/ bells whatever beforehand?!


That is exactly the nature of accidents. They happen because something went differently than planned/briefed/trained.
Here, someone was obviously on the 'loo during the briefing...

Will have left a profound and lasting impression on said individual for sure.

[Heathrow Harry]

I have personal experience of a safety briefing planned work involving an active high pressure/temperature piece of equipment.

Just before we started the work we heard a loud & persistent banging noise coming from the depths of the equipment - we found someone trying to dislodge a valve with a sledgehammer - had he succeeded he would have opened an 11,000 psi 250C gas system 3 ft in front of him...........................

As you can imagine the Elf & Safety guys went ape... we were able to show that not only did we have his signature that he'd attended the briefing & understood it but there was a video of it him clearly paying attention with everyone else.. He wasn't mad, a member of ISIS or low IQ - in fact he was an experienced, well regarded hand.......

All we could get out of him was that he didn't think what he was doing had anything to with the procedure and "he thought it would save time later"

[Mike Flynn]

Nice to see the Royal Navy can launch something from their frigates.

My understanding is they are all broke and won't work in warm seas.

My son is an officer on HMS Westminster which has spent the last year trekking back and forth through the Irish Sea and the Channel trying to get all the kit to work.

Meanwhile our newest carrier has sprung a leak.

How did we manage Normandy?

[alfred_the_great]

Nice to see the Royal Navy can launch something from their frigates.

My understanding is they are all broke and won't work in warm seas.

My son is an officer on HMS Westminster which has spent the last year trekking back and forth through the Irish Sea and the Channel trying to get all the kit to work.

Meanwhile our newest carrier has sprung a leak.

How did we manage Normandy?

Would that be the HMS WESTMINSTER that had just finished a refit period, and was on trials, the express intent of which is to find out which bits of kit don’t work?

[Jimlad1]

Or the carrier that hasnt 'sprung a leak' but is merely experiencing the same thing that every boat or ship built in history of mankind experiences?

[FODPlod]

...Meanwhile our newest carrier has sprung a leak.

How did we manage Normandy?

QNLZ's 'leak' hardly merited national headlines. Her stern gland has been watertight while alongside and only allowed "up to" 200 litres of water per hour to enter while the ship was being thrown around during sea trials. Even unfettered, this would still have taken around 48 years to flood her entirely.

This is the tiniest submersible electrical pond pump I could find on the internet. Funnily enough, it can shift 200 litres per hour:

https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51l73FRSbZL._SX355_.jpg
Small petrol-driven man-portable pumps the size of a lawn mower can pump 66,000 litres per hour (i.e. 1100 litres per minute). Ironically, QNLZ can convert sea water into fresh water at a rate of 22,500 litres per hour (540 tonnes per day).

If there is a guarantee defect, it will be fixed by the builder at its own cost in due course along with any others.

[glad rag]

If it wasn't caused by operating negligence of course.

[alfred_the_great]

If it wasn't caused by operating negligence of course.

HAve you ever been to sea?

[Heathrow Harry]

It is a common problem on new ships of any sort - especially military vessels where the stresses and strains on the prop-shaft that can't be accurately modeled until they are on trials.

Embarrasing - a bit - serious - no

[Rhino power]

Embarrasing - a bit...

I shouldn't imagine so, if something analogous in general terms to nothing more than a dripping tap was the only engineering snafu of note encountered during sea trials, then I suspect embarrassment was far from how the crew and ship's builders felt...

-RP