£52.5 m a pop
I'm sure the irony has not been lost that the thread, quite naturally, sucks in Nimrod 2000/RMPA/MRA4/Nimrod 2012.
Common denominator? Same MoD(PE) 2 Star. Same briefing. (It's turning to rats boss, you've gotta listen to those who know). Same reply. Same result.
Common denominator? Same MoD(PE) 2 Star. Same briefing. (It's turning to rats boss, you've gotta listen to those who know). Same reply. Same result.
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evalu8ter,
Pretty much what I said then but without any comment on the contractual arrangements (although I accept that this may be outside your Area of Expertise).
It just occurred to me that an acronym for Area of Expertise (AoE) might be an incredibly useful tool on this forum? Like IIRC, IMHO LOL etc
Pretty much what I said then but without any comment on the contractual arrangements (although I accept that this may be outside your Area of Expertise).
It just occurred to me that an acronym for Area of Expertise (AoE) might be an incredibly useful tool on this forum? Like IIRC, IMHO LOL etc
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Evalu8ster "sometime in the next 5 years will receive another Glass cockpit under the auspices of Project Julius (which is similar to the one it would have got under fix to field...)."
Pardon me???!! Those 2 cockpits (F2F vs Julius) differ massively in their usability and HMI. I would say they are not similar.
Going back to the original thread, at £52.5M a pop, they are expensive, yes, but take the project cost of Merlin (which, bear in mind started in the Seventies), divide by the no of ac bought by the UK PLC and you'll find the unit cost in excess of not only Chinook 3R, but Typhoon as well.
It's ok though, it's good to have ASW cabs bodged into SH. We did that in the Falklands, too, didn't we?
Pardon me???!! Those 2 cockpits (F2F vs Julius) differ massively in their usability and HMI. I would say they are not similar.
Going back to the original thread, at £52.5M a pop, they are expensive, yes, but take the project cost of Merlin (which, bear in mind started in the Seventies), divide by the no of ac bought by the UK PLC and you'll find the unit cost in excess of not only Chinook 3R, but Typhoon as well.
It's ok though, it's good to have ASW cabs bodged into SH. We did that in the Falklands, too, didn't we?
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Not a one trick Pony
Whilst I agree that the Merlin is a bit pricey, there can be no comparison cost wise, with an aircraft that was already in service (in one form). The training systems, GSE, support organisations etc were all in place. Yes updates to equipment and ispecs can be expected but the new Chinooks are expensive because of a cock up. The Merlin has had to be started from scratch and that will inevitably incur more startup costs, that have to be shared out per airframe. Just see how much the training at Westlands cost before we set up the MTF at Culdrose.
The good thing about an aircraft like the Merlin Mk1 is its versatility, the submarine threat is less (at the moment), but a couple of bolts undone/done up, and in minutes the aircraft can reconfigure for several different roles from ASW to full Casevac with stretcher mounts, all this in a cab with excellent comms and command setup too. 21 troops seating, 2 GPMG points, 5,000 and 10,000lb lift and variations anywhere in between. They are soon going to strap the AEW radar onto the cab as well, so all in all, a lot more useful than it may seem at first.
The good thing about an aircraft like the Merlin Mk1 is its versatility, the submarine threat is less (at the moment), but a couple of bolts undone/done up, and in minutes the aircraft can reconfigure for several different roles from ASW to full Casevac with stretcher mounts, all this in a cab with excellent comms and command setup too. 21 troops seating, 2 GPMG points, 5,000 and 10,000lb lift and variations anywhere in between. They are soon going to strap the AEW radar onto the cab as well, so all in all, a lot more useful than it may seem at first.
