Will there be lady officers and other ranks on board? One hopes the chaps will behave.

Second officer removed for alleged improper relationship with female colleague on scandal-hit submarine

Second officer removed for alleged improper relationship with female colleague on scandal-hit submarine

The Americans also have a carrier themed STEM project for schools....

When does Queen Elizabeth start her next phase of sea trials?

On previous page there is a SaveTheBleedinNavvy artickle sayin': :}

Bigpants it twas ever thus mate, these stories have always gone on - they help pay the way of the hacks that write them. Speaking of rags, the Daily Telegraph is reporting that it has quoutes from MOD sources that the big UK carrier is being planned in to be possibly involved in operations against North Korea. I don't pay to read the Telegraph, this was via MSN. One way or another someone is leaking out a possibility of RN military involvement.
In all ways, utterly disgraceful.

She is on Contractor Sea Trials. Therefore that is a rumour and nothing more. If by some chance it isn’t a rumour, it’s a joke!

Doubts over delivery of Lockheed Martin F-35 jets

Britain’s next generation of fast jets are less likely to be delivered as planned because of concerns over simulators, software and weapons.

The Ministry of Defence has lowered a confidence rating on the delivery of the F-35 Lightning II programme to amber/red, from amber in June, the government’s spending watchdog said. The change is significant for a project costing billions of pounds. The F-35B jets are due to fly from the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers, with the first aircraft due to operate from HMS Queen Elizabeth by the end of 2020.

The National Audit Office (NAO) produced a three-page note for the parliamentary public accounts committee, which is examining the government’s management of the overall programme to deliver aircraft carriers and F-35 jets. The “supplementary memorandum” was published yesterday afternoon.

The MoD told the NAO that the programme remained on time and on budget but the official in charge had revised his “delivery confidence”, it said. “This reflected concerns that simulators to train UK pilots would not be representative of the UK aircraft standard, that there were delays to providing UK-specific software programming, and that the schedule to deliver the UK weapons programme required further work,” the NAO said........

Britain’s next generation of fast jets are less likely to be delivered as planned because of concerns over simulators, software and weapons.

Well, poop. Now wait ten seconds for the fans to tell us that these are the normal issues to be expected with the delivery of a game-changing superwonderweapon, and so on and so forth.

Which of course they are. It takes time and money to update sims &c and there is a tendency to lag changes in the platform, because Mr Sim PM likes to wait until the changes have been tested before he spends his own budget.

However, the fact that these problems are common doesn't mean they were insoluble had they been addressed at the right time, and it does mean that they could and should have been anticipated.

A bit tough to update the sim when they may not know what the issues are yet.................

All the good NAO goss here: Written evidence - National Audit Office

I'm wondering (because FMS are updated with latest software release soon as) IF the Brit FMS requires extra updating - due soon to be tested next year off East Coast USofA - with SRVL details? FMS = Full Mission Simulator

All this for <36 wonder jets, tsk, tsk, tsk.

<= that many???

https://s3.envato.com/files/32011683...review-590.jpg


http://www.redvanilla.com/images/ET1906_1907.jpg


https://kcctrial.files.wordpress.com...lstatistix.jpg

Reports of delays were tempests in a teacup, the sky-is-falling &c &c, nine years ago. At least they were widely dismissed as such at all levels, and had the pooh-poohing-pooh-bahs doing the dismissal not been talking out of their exhausts, the full-capability Block 3 would have cleared IOC three years ago and at least 700 full operational jets would be in service.

Is it late? Undoubtedly.
Is it overbudget? Undoubtedly.
Was there a way of doing it differently that would have changed the above? Possibly - but hindsight is a wonderful thing.


Is every potential delay the end of the world as some would suggest or enjoy? Probably not.

But time is money, and every day the costs go up, and eventually the RN will run out of Royal Marines, amphibious assault ships and helicopter fleets to pay the bills.....

Errr, the RN is not paying for F35 with RM etc. When last I looked the procurement budget for F35 sat under the RAF (having been switched in the changeover from FCBA to JCA).


Are you suggesting that the RAF is forcing the RN to lose force structure to pay for a joint force?

I’m saying the only major aircraft programmes on the way are ones the RN depend on and want - F-35 and P-8. The Tornado is aread6 planed t9 go and there isn’t any else to cut.

Which is why all the cuts being talked about are in the army and, mainly, in the navy.

The RAF could offer to cut costs by chopping the F-35 and consolidating on a single FJ force of FGR-4s. But who would that hurt the most?

So the RAF doesn't want JCA? Perhaps we can look forward to not hearing about F35A then.

Or P8? Perhaps the budget for delivery of those capabilities should move TLB holder then.....

The actual planes will cheaper to train in than the sims soon

It is a worry when the software in the sim you train in for a single seat aircraft (no trainer) will always be at least 1 to 2 generations behind that in the aircraft......