Overlander, The Royal Navy has lacked capabilities for many decades now, I dont know what golden era you hark back to?
Submarines are one area where we have been in the top class, we once operated 18 SSN's and around 15 SSK's in the 1970/1980 period. The SSN's are slowly ageing but at least the Astute has a 50% weapon load increase and we should eventually get 8 or 9 as the production and technology needs to be kept open as we have committed to Trident.
The decline in numbers is because the cold war is over. It would have been nice to keep the 4 Upholders but the choice was them or 2 SSN's. I dont know how much per year an upholder would have cost including wages, fuel, maintenance, refits? But in reality would they have seen much action in the last decade?.
Even with a small number of SSN's we still have an exceptionally strong sub fleet.
Go back to the Falklands era. County class of 1960's era with innefective Sea Slug missiles and electronics that couldnt defeat exocet eg HMS Glamorgan.
The Type 21 class, one sea cat launcher,a 4.5 gun and 4 exocets, a good GP frigate for a byegone era but alas totally inadequate to defend aginst sustained air attack using 20 year old aircraft and dumb bombs.
Leander class and type 12, similar weapons fit to the Type 21 only older, also heavily punished by air attacks.
Type 42 was a cut down platform resulting from budget cuts in the 1970's, lacked close in defence, its Sea Dart was designed to shot down medium to high flying aircraft and soviet anti ship missiles, we built 14, lost 2, still have 8. The fact that these ships are still here in 2007 upto 2010 tells you much about the long standing undefunding over the last 20 years. Again, even old technology fighters with dumb bombs scored multiple hits (even in the combo of HMS Coventry and HMS Broadsword).
The type 22, good ASW designs but built without a 4.5 gun (the first 9), oversized for its weapons fit, able to shoot down targets a point ranges of three miles. The last 4 are well equipped electronically.
The later Type 23 offers good GP capabilities but lacks offensive punch,has short range Sea Wolf etc.
None of these platforms possess the ability to really project power, in this era of warfare we need the ability to launch land attack missiles, all our current platforms date from the cold war sub hunting era. The RN has been number heavy in frigates but weak in the ability to apply a punch.
The RN of the Falklands with the exception of the harrier on the Invincible and Hermes, could do little more than soak up punishment from a primitive aerial opponent. Had the bombs that hit actually went off we could have lost over 10 ships and hundreds more lives. We struggled to win against an airforce that possessed only 5 exocets and relied on low level attcks with no ECM. The frigates that maneouvered and fought bravely in Falklands sound never had a chance to defend themselves at arms length due to the weapons fit and limitations of design and were there to soak up the bombs that would have wrecked the amphibious forces.
I dont know how the leanders, Amazons, County's would have fared in the north atlantic facing soviet cruise missiles and subs, we would have sunk a few but I suspect we would have soaked up so much punishment that the fleet would cease to operate in less than a month.
There is little point in a limited budget extending the lives of old vessels with limited weapons fit, hence if the remaining Type 22's go then so be it. If we swap 6 Tpe 45's for 8 Type 42's then with the leap in capability and cost differences to build then so be it. Like it or not the RN and the UK could not afford to build over 50 modern surface escorts, particularly if the bulk will not fire a shot in anger over the next 2 decades. We are modernising our armed forces, in 20 years the UK will spend vast sums on UCAV's for a start.
The next government will keep to similar spending levels as the previous ones. The Tories might save a few old infantry regiments but all parties will be keen to keep the industrial base afloat hence there will always be new vessels for the navy.
Overlander, you are keen to quote Beedall, I suggest you read his pages on future projects, not just his editorials and section on the carriers, there is a lot of work going on and paid for within the UK defence sector.
