Telegraph - "MoD to 'Anglicise' Boeing Wedgetail jets after £2bn deal with US firm.."
Evertonian
Hi Dan! One of my really exciting tasks in my 6 weeks as S/L (Air) at MPA was to attend the 'Theatre vehicle liability meeting', chaired by some pongo REMF Lt Col. Although the VC10K was tits-up and was a 'wargoer only' at the time, I mentioned the state of the 1312 Flt vehicle and the fact that some of the permanent staff were swanning about in LWB Landrover station wagons.
"There has to be some expectation appropriate to rank and status", he waffled, attempting to explain why he drove around in such a vehicle. My Boss had already swapped his station wagon for a normal 5-pot Tdi from 1435 - and to allay any accusations of self-interest I refused to have my ancient heap replaced whilst 1312 was still allocated the rotting old wreck which you and I recall. One day on a scramble the thing slowed down when the driver changed up to top gear as it couldn't cope with the runway headwind!
My recommendation was that 1312 should be allocated a brand new Landrover Twin Cab. But I went back to the UK a week later, so I don't know what the final result was - but I can guess
Jackonicko , just how long do you think that an open, proper and rigorous consideration of the alternatives would take in this day and age? No doubt the usual BWoS spin and bluster would be much in evidence. Airbus missed the boat when they failed to take the A310 AEW&C (partnered with Raytheon and ELTA) beyond a brochure proposal; GlobalEye only flew earlier in the year and has half the number of mission consoles and a much smaller crew rest area than the GlobalEye:
Just sign up and get on with it!
"There has to be some expectation appropriate to rank and status", he waffled, attempting to explain why he drove around in such a vehicle. My Boss had already swapped his station wagon for a normal 5-pot Tdi from 1435 - and to allay any accusations of self-interest I refused to have my ancient heap replaced whilst 1312 was still allocated the rotting old wreck which you and I recall. One day on a scramble the thing slowed down when the driver changed up to top gear as it couldn't cope with the runway headwind!
My recommendation was that 1312 should be allocated a brand new Landrover Twin Cab. But I went back to the UK a week later, so I don't know what the final result was - but I can guess
Jackonicko , just how long do you think that an open, proper and rigorous consideration of the alternatives would take in this day and age? No doubt the usual BWoS spin and bluster would be much in evidence. Airbus missed the boat when they failed to take the A310 AEW&C (partnered with Raytheon and ELTA) beyond a brochure proposal; GlobalEye only flew earlier in the year and has half the number of mission consoles and a much smaller crew rest area than the GlobalEye:
Just sign up and get on with it!
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If I had to do 15+ hour missions, I know what footprint I would want to do it in. And it's not the Saab.
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Buy if off the forecourt !
I live in fear of another defence overspend and under capability if the usual suspects get anywhere near the wedgetail as anything they do will take far too long and cost far too much.
Some above have joked that the only modification should be a large water boiler for the tea, my view is even this is a step too far and the aircraft should use airline style beverage makers that can be overhauled by the airline maintaince system ( no doubt at 10% of the price of any bit of equipment designated as defence supplies ) .
The only real success story in UK aircraft procurement in recent years has been the C-17, the requirement for this was so urgent that the UK defence industry did not get the chance to be involved and mess things up................ this is a leason we would do well to learn.
Some above have joked that the only modification should be a large water boiler for the tea, my view is even this is a step too far and the aircraft should use airline style beverage makers that can be overhauled by the airline maintaince system ( no doubt at 10% of the price of any bit of equipment designated as defence supplies ) .
The only real success story in UK aircraft procurement in recent years has been the C-17, the requirement for this was so urgent that the UK defence industry did not get the chance to be involved and mess things up................ this is a leason we would do well to learn.
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Some above have joked that the only modification should be a large water boiler for the tea, my view is even this is a step too far and the aircraft should use airline style beverage makers that can be overhauled by the airline maintaince system ( no doubt at 10% of the price of any bit of equipment designated as defence
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Sitting here with tears in my eyes wishing they’d had some lumps of coal on board they would have dropped onto the taxiway as they passed the crowd........
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Eight Sqn "Shackleton" used to possess a very large "clockwork" key which was often used at air displays to fit on top of the sparkplug like Orange Harvest antenna and before start, the groundcrew would climb onto the roof and wind it up!
The only real success story in UK aircraft procurement in recent years has been the C-17, the requirement for this was so urgent that the UK defence industry did not get the chance to be involved and mess things up................ this is a leason we would do well to learn.
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I was referring to a commercial lease arrangement, not a government to government lend-lease arrangement.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
On a RNoAF Sea King they had a similar water boiler to that fitted to Nimrod and Shackleton with two extra features. The water level had a barber's pole sight glass and a simmer function.
On bugs in the water tank, that was the reason Shacks had jerry cans and a hand pump. After I asked why they didn't clean the tanks - they did. I don't recall any issues on the Nimrod.
On bugs in the water tank, that was the reason Shacks had jerry cans and a hand pump. After I asked why they didn't clean the tanks - they did. I don't recall any issues on the Nimrod.
There's little doubt the sensor is very good. However, it is not a 360 degree sensor and has a 30 degree blind spot fore and aft. So if you need 360 degree coverage, this sensor is not for you.
First, when do you actually need 360-degree coverage? In the real world, in land-based defensive ops, you usually have a pretty good idea where the activity you want to monitor is, and you position your racetrack accordingly. Second, if you have a constantly rotating radar and you are protecting/looking over a border, half the time it's pointed in the wrong direction; and if you're tracking specific targets you have limited dwell time once every ten seconds.
That being said, this very good system is not interoperable with US or NATO equipment, so for a nation like the UAE that does not need to interoperate with other forces its a great choice. For forces that need to interoperate with the US and/or NATO, not so much.
What makes it "not interoperable"? That's a matter of the comms equipment on board. And a NATO nation already uses EriEye, and it's news to me that the UAE does not need to interoperate with the US.
First, when do you actually need 360-degree coverage? In the real world, in land-based defensive ops, you usually have a pretty good idea where the activity you want to monitor is, and you position your racetrack accordingly. Second, if you have a constantly rotating radar and you are protecting/looking over a border, half the time it's pointed in the wrong direction; and if you're tracking specific targets you have limited dwell time once every ten seconds.
That being said, this very good system is not interoperable with US or NATO equipment, so for a nation like the UAE that does not need to interoperate with other forces its a great choice. For forces that need to interoperate with the US and/or NATO, not so much.
What makes it "not interoperable"? That's a matter of the comms equipment on board. And a NATO nation already uses EriEye, and it's news to me that the UAE does not need to interoperate with the US.
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What makes it "not interoperable"? That's a matter of the comms equipment on board. And a NATO nation already uses EriEye, and it's news to me that the UAE does not need to interoperate with the US.
the only modification should be a large water boiler for the tea,
