Royal Air Force [RAF] discussions and updates
- Thread starter neil
- Start date
Anyway isn't a water boiling vessel for a brew a compulsory piece of kit in every UK and probably Commonwealth platform?
I'm pretty sure that a Boiling Vessel failure is a no-fly condition. Master Caution Panel, Main Panel 1, Tea Urn not achieving tea making temps, mission abort, requesting clearance on any runway, actual pan, actual pan...
Actually, they're so popular even the US relented and fitted one to their M2 IFV's I believe - it's almost a direct copy of the UK item barring some very minor changes. Took 'em about sixty years but they got there.
Chairman Julian Lewis said: “If the MoD’s procurement record was one of unalloyed success they could argue relying on their judgment rather than a competition is reasonable. That’s not the case and it’s wholly unreasonable to exclude viable alternatives.”
One could argue that the MOD's procurement record might have been one of unalloyed success had they had been left to rely on their own judgment rather than have politicians and local industry lobbyists not forcing them down local content procurement strait jackets that over cost, over complicate and under deliver.
This clearly illustrates the largest difference between the ADF and the UK MoD. The Uk MOD for right or wrong is subject to far more political intereference than the ADF currently is (and likely ever will be). Like it or not so much UK purchasing is built around UK jobs rather cost, timeline or capability.
The wedgetail is clearly the most capable platform with significantly less risk, operationally proven.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Certainly the UK isn't the only country with a biased procurement operation that places jobs and Polly egos ahead of capability and cost. Canada and India are definitely in the club of clusters.
Whoaa..easy tiger, next you'll be implying that HMG would tack on an order for an extra 12 Nimrod to keep the manufacturer in clover..oh shoot..they did that..Uh..or buy Chinooks for SOF ops, then not buy the off the shelf adapts that TF26 used and go for some half assed solution that turned out to be impossible to certify for IFR in anything else other than wartime. Uh..oh yeah, they did that.
Harumph..um..I'll get me coat...
It does smack of that - if they can get offsets..oh, wait, tell the public we'll be making the wheel well hatches for the P8 AND the E7 (in joke, the 737 doesn't have any..)
And here we have another contender :
IAI eyes UK AEW&C opportunity | Jane's 360
I think Israel's EEZ is about eight square miles so I'm not sure the platforms compare in terms of what goals they were designed to achieve.
IAI eyes UK AEW&C opportunity | Jane's 360
I think Israel's EEZ is about eight square miles so I'm not sure the platforms compare in terms of what goals they were designed to achieve.
The theoretically available platforms arranged in order of platform performance (range, endurance, patrol altitude) are probably B737, Globaleye, G550 & E-2D. I can't take the E-2D seriously for the UK's requirement, because of the platform performance. Of the others, the B737 has to be the favourite by a wide margin. It ticks too many more boxes than the others, from airframe commonality onwards.
I can't pretend to be able to judge radar & other systems performance, but maybe they're all good enough.
I can't pretend to be able to judge radar & other systems performance, but maybe they're all good enough.
I suspect from a human engineering point of view, the 737 has a bit more room to move around in and there's just more space to stretch your legs, pay a visit, grab a cuppa etc. The major cost drivers appear to be the innards as opposed to the cab.
Radar wise, I've no idea so it's down to platform maturity and what the end user experience has been like.
It's official, the UK is in talks with Boeing about a possible UK acquisition of the E-7A Wedgetail. The MOD mandarins see the advantages of the commonality with the P-8, closer collaboration between the RAF & RAAF on both platforms, best VfM for all systems available and good opportunities for pommy industry.
Britain confirms talks with Boeing over potential $2.6B Wedgetail aircraft buy
Britain confirms talks with Boeing over potential $2.6B Wedgetail aircraft buy
Should this deal go through I wonder if the RAAF would consider adding to their existing Wedgetail fleet.
Aircraft 7 or 8 maybe?
Regards S
I don't know if they would be able to obtain the funding. It might be a case of what would you want to get rid of to get these extra aircraft. Having said that, given that the regional geostrategic situation has deteriorated since the Wedgetails were acquired, the RAAF may have a case for extra funding to acquire 2 more aircraft, especially after its performance during OP OKRA.
Todjaeger
Potstirrer
IIRC the RAAF ordered four of the aircraft which became the E-7 Wedgetail, with options for three more. Only two of those options were exercised, so I am uncertain whether the third option was not exercised due to a perceived lack of need, or if it was insufficient budget funding available. At this point I would assume that the final remaining option has passed since it has been due to march of time.
John Newman
The Bunker Group
If the procurement of Wedgetail proceeds (and on top of the RAF P-8A procurement), I wonder if the RAF will have a review of their AAR tanker fleet and install centreline a boom like all the other A330 MRTT/KC-30A operators?I am super stoked to hear that
John Newman
The Bunker Group
I vaguely remember it being reported at the time, that whilst there were 6 Wedgetail built for the RAAF, that a 7th radar system was also purchased too, but obviously not used.
If true and still in the RAAFs possession, maybe it's kept as a spare??
From the RAF Facebook page. F-35B night ops off HMS QE. Absolutely stunning photos.
Photos Caption:
Amazing photographs - Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Test Pilots have conducted the first night flying trials off the United Kingdom’s largest warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The trials included state-of-the-art night-vision technology, with the pilots and aircraft handlers successfully guiding the supersonic fighter jets onto the flight deck. HMS Queen Elizabeth has been kitted out with specially-designed LED lighting on her flight deck to aid night time landings.
Photos Caption:
Amazing photographs - Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Test Pilots have conducted the first night flying trials off the United Kingdom’s largest warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The trials included state-of-the-art night-vision technology, with the pilots and aircraft handlers successfully guiding the supersonic fighter jets onto the flight deck. HMS Queen Elizabeth has been kitted out with specially-designed LED lighting on her flight deck to aid night time landings.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
The night view of the jet exhaust certainly leads to an appreciation of why the deck needs a special heat treatment coating. Awesome photos.
That is my recollection as well.
I appreciate defence does not have a blank cheque to purchase extra of every bit of kit. However if funds become available,then well proven and indispensable systems like the RAAF's Wedgetail maybe on the nice to have extra list.
Certainly if the RAF go ahead with Wegetail there should be an economy of scale in tapping on to their production lot.
Time will tell.
Regards S