UK Strategic Defence Review 2020 - get your bids in now ladies & gents
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-cutbacks.html
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and committee chairman Tobias Ellwood in texting war over Army cutbacks
Fears of deep cuts to the Army have sparked a bitter war of words between Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and the top Tory MP overseeing his work at Westminster.
Mr Wallace used a private text message to tear into defence committee chairman Tobias Ellwood for criticising tomorrow’s Armed Forces shake-up before it is made public.
He wrote: ‘Don’t lecture me on courtesy when you have not had the courtesy to wait for the review to be published before you condemned it!’....
The rows are the latest sign of Tory tensions over tomorrow’s defence ‘command paper’ on the future of the Armed Forces amid fears it could slash troop numbers by 10,000. Tanks and other weapons are also said to be in the firing line.
A new 1,000-strong ‘Rangers’ regiment – modelled on the US Army’s ‘Green Berets’ and to undertake Special Forces-style missions – was announced yesterday.
However, the overall service changes have led to deteriorating relations between Mr Wallace and Mr Ellwood.
In the Commons last week, former Scots Guard Mr Wallace openly humiliated Mr Ellwood, himself a former Army officer, after he warned MPs that infantry cuts would ‘worry our closest allies’.
The Defence Secretary replied: ‘Playing by the Ladybird book of defence design is not the way to progress.’
And their feud continued according to an exchange of messages on the defence committee’s private WhatsApp group.
In a ‘Hi Ben’ message, Mr Ellwood referred to the ‘excellent’ background briefings given to journalists on last week’s Integrated Review on foreign and defence policy.
He continued: ‘Def Ctte (sic) would be honoured to receive same level of courtesy given our formal oversight role.’
Mr Wallace replied that he had already arranged ‘a full day for your committee’, but added: ‘If you’re not interested (and as you seemed to make your mind up long ago on the review), I am happy to cancel it. Your call.’
He then rebuked Mr Ellwood for lecturing him about courtesy......
Both Mr Ellwood and Mr Wallace declined to comment.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and committee chairman Tobias Ellwood in texting war over Army cutbacks
Fears of deep cuts to the Army have sparked a bitter war of words between Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and the top Tory MP overseeing his work at Westminster.
Mr Wallace used a private text message to tear into defence committee chairman Tobias Ellwood for criticising tomorrow’s Armed Forces shake-up before it is made public.
He wrote: ‘Don’t lecture me on courtesy when you have not had the courtesy to wait for the review to be published before you condemned it!’....
The rows are the latest sign of Tory tensions over tomorrow’s defence ‘command paper’ on the future of the Armed Forces amid fears it could slash troop numbers by 10,000. Tanks and other weapons are also said to be in the firing line.
A new 1,000-strong ‘Rangers’ regiment – modelled on the US Army’s ‘Green Berets’ and to undertake Special Forces-style missions – was announced yesterday.
However, the overall service changes have led to deteriorating relations between Mr Wallace and Mr Ellwood.
In the Commons last week, former Scots Guard Mr Wallace openly humiliated Mr Ellwood, himself a former Army officer, after he warned MPs that infantry cuts would ‘worry our closest allies’.
The Defence Secretary replied: ‘Playing by the Ladybird book of defence design is not the way to progress.’
And their feud continued according to an exchange of messages on the defence committee’s private WhatsApp group.
In a ‘Hi Ben’ message, Mr Ellwood referred to the ‘excellent’ background briefings given to journalists on last week’s Integrated Review on foreign and defence policy.
He continued: ‘Def Ctte (sic) would be honoured to receive same level of courtesy given our formal oversight role.’
Mr Wallace replied that he had already arranged ‘a full day for your committee’, but added: ‘If you’re not interested (and as you seemed to make your mind up long ago on the review), I am happy to cancel it. Your call.’
He then rebuked Mr Ellwood for lecturing him about courtesy......
Both Mr Ellwood and Mr Wallace declined to comment.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-cutbacks.html
He then rebuked Mr Ellwood for lecturing him about courtesy......
Both Mr Ellwood and Mr Wallace declined to comment.
He then rebuked Mr Ellwood for lecturing him about courtesy......
Both Mr Ellwood and Mr Wallace declined to comment.
Command Paper details:
F-35B commit to buy 48
E-3D to be replaced by 3 x E-7 in 2023 to be based at Lossiemouth
Retire C-130J in 2023
A400M fleet to be 22
Protector by 2024
GBP2B for FCAS + UCAV
Upgrade Typhoon radar + introduce SPEAR Cap 3 missile
F-35B commit to buy 48
E-3D to be replaced by 3 x E-7 in 2023 to be based at Lossiemouth
Retire C-130J in 2023
A400M fleet to be 22
Protector by 2024
GBP2B for FCAS + UCAV
Upgrade Typhoon radar + introduce SPEAR Cap 3 missile
Last edited by RAFEngO74to09; 22nd Mar 2021 at 17:29.
In response to a question, SOS just clarified that F35 purchase will not stop at 48 and that procurement will continue beyond that number.I thought Puma might go, but no mention of it.
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I'm really struggling to see where the good news is in this, but maybe that's just me,
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
“The Army is retiring its oldest CH-47 Chinook helicopters and investing, alongside the US, in newer variants of this operationally proven aircraft, enhancing capability, efficiency and interoperability.
Our AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters will be upgraded to a state-of-the-art capability by 2025.
Investment in a new medium lift helicopter in the mid-2020s will enable a consolidation of the Army’s disparate fleet of medium lift helicopters from four platform types to one; including the replacement of Puma...”
Our AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters will be upgraded to a state-of-the-art capability by 2025.
Investment in a new medium lift helicopter in the mid-2020s will enable a consolidation of the Army’s disparate fleet of medium lift helicopters from four platform types to one; including the replacement of Puma...”
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Where’s the magic money tree? We the middle class are the magic money tree.
Puma and oldest Chinooks to go (Sky News stated 9) - don't those numbers pretty much equate to an empty Benson?
Can A321 operate from Northolt, or does that hint at another runway going? I'm sure the other aviation assets there could be relocated.
Whether A400 can replace the J I guess remains to be seen.
Can A321 operate from Northolt, or does that hint at another runway going? I'm sure the other aviation assets there could be relocated.
Whether A400 can replace the J I guess remains to be seen.
At the end of the Army Section 7.39:
"The Army (sic) is retiring its oldest CH-47 Chinook helicopters and investing, alongside the US, in newer variants of this operationally proven aircraft, enhancing capability, efficiency and interoperability. Our AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters will be upgraded to a state-of-the-art capability by 2025. Investment in a new medium lift helicopter in the mid-2020s will enable a consolidation of the Army’s (sic) disparate fleet of medium lift helicopters from four platform types to one; including the replacement of Puma. The Army will also retain and upgrade Watchkeeper."
"The Army (sic) is retiring its oldest CH-47 Chinook helicopters and investing, alongside the US, in newer variants of this operationally proven aircraft, enhancing capability, efficiency and interoperability. Our AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters will be upgraded to a state-of-the-art capability by 2025. Investment in a new medium lift helicopter in the mid-2020s will enable a consolidation of the Army’s (sic) disparate fleet of medium lift helicopters from four platform types to one; including the replacement of Puma. The Army will also retain and upgrade Watchkeeper."
The Royal Air Force will continue to grow its Combat Air capacity over the next few years as we fully establish all seven operational Typhoon Squadrons and grow the Lightning II Force, increasing the fleet size beyond the 48 aircraft that we have already ordered.
Suspect that means complete Combat Air Strategy paper, which will be somewhat dependent on Tempest progress and how Carrier Strike develops to define force structure - as opposed to fleet size,
But it doesn’t say when? It does say the new medium lift helicopter will replace 4 obsolete types, but if we’re keeping Mildcat and Merlin, what does it replace apart from Puma?
After I'd stopped sniggering about the Army CH-47s... And yes most of this repeats the above as I hadn't scrolled back far enough to see what has been posted since I started typing while reading
Reduced buy
Three E-7A by 2023 but E-3D gone by end 2021
To go
146 by 2022
Fat Albert by 2023
Typhoon Tranche 1 by 2025
Hawk T 1 by 2025
Weasely words, a stretch or a follow on buy? I can't find the 22 in the command paper.
https://assets.publishing.service.go...titive_age.pdf
Reduced buy
Three E-7A by 2023 but E-3D gone by end 2021
To go
146 by 2022
Fat Albert by 2023
Typhoon Tranche 1 by 2025
Hawk T 1 by 2025
The Royal Air Force will retire equipment that has increasingly limited utility in the digital and future operating environment. This will include rationalising older fleets to improve efficiency, retiring Typhoon Tranche 1 by 2025, and Hawk T1. We will enhance the new military flying training system with further investment in synthetic training that will deliver more capable pilots more quickly and more efficiently. The Royal Air Force will retire the BAe146 as planned by 2022 and take the C130 Hercules out of service by 2023. The A400M Atlas force will increase its capacity and capability, operating alongside C-17 Globemaster and Voyager transport aircraft and tankers.
https://assets.publishing.service.go...titive_age.pdf
Last edited by SLXOwft; 22nd Mar 2021 at 19:13. Reason: Repeating previous posts
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(oops, beaten to it)
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