harikaridog

The ASW Destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov has just departed Portsmouth UK after a 4 day port visit. Recently returned from the Horn of Africa and the Eastern Med, the Kulakov was open to the public for a short time on Sunday. battered and a bit rusty she was still an impressive sight . I'll post some pictures of the open day and her departure shortly.

Roger. Maybe $$$? Unfortunately that is my conclusion too.

I'll hazard a guess. With Aster/PAAMS/Sea Viper having a somewhat troubled history and despite recent test success, there's nothing quite like the peace of mind that is offered by a proven, rapid firing gun. no, I totally agree with the rationale of having a CIWS as a backup to Sea Viper, what I don't undrstand is why Daring deploys with, Dauntless without....and yet Diamond is fitted even though she is not due for any special deployment currently.

You really should ask for your money back!

That is an interesting development. Thanks! On Sunday got some good views of HMS Diamond and HMS Dragon. Diamond had Phalanx fitted whilst Dragon did not. So not sure what the rationale is for CIWS fitting on the T45s.

Hi, I watched HMS Dauntless leave Portsmouth this morning heading for a 6 month deployment to the South Atlantic. Given all the Falklands rethoric recently there were a good many people seeing her off. One thing I did notice (attention Db Builders) was that Dauntless was not fitted with Phalanx. Daring deployed to the Gulf earlier this year did carry that CIWS. Obviously much confidence in the Sea Viper for SSM defence. I wonder is the omission financial or tactical? I suppose Phalanx might have been seen as a useful deterrent against Iranian speedboats/skiffs etc rather than as a last defence against leakers. Anyway, hoping Dauntless has a quiet and peaceful deployment.

Hmm, Looking at the Photos I took yesterday I see that Hessen has also had her Harpoons removed too. I suppose the chance of Ship to Ship combat in the North Atlantic is a pretty remote scenario now. Also cannot see the point of wasting an SSM on a pirate Dhow If things go SNAFU in the Gulf, I would hope US airpower would terminate any surface threat very quickly. However I wish that Dauntless would get some fitted before the journey to the South Atlantic. To rely entirely on an 'assumed' SSN as the surface deterrent worries me a little. Even if Sea Viper and Phalanx handles the Exocet inbounds, a Harpoon in return should discourage the surface units. Not dicounting Sea Skua...but......! I know the chances of anything getting out of hand is remote...but you never know.

This morning watched a three ship German naval group depart Portsmouth UK comprising frigates Emden and Hessen and the supply ship Frankfurt Am Main. One thing I noted was that the Emden had her Harpoon launchers removed. The support struts were there but not the tubes themselves. I guess this represents Germany following the lead of other countries in determining that SSM's are not required in the current environment.

Here is an article from The Telegraph in 2011 talking about this issue. THE TELEGRAPH

Good to see the 'Tiffies' manoeuvering into the French 6 O'clock position. I think the photo illustrates the common ancestry of these planes back to the days of the original EFA project. I guess had the French got their way and had Dassault lead the design effort then the Eurofighter would have looked very much like the Rafale.

i would assume the final version would have enhanced engines to improve the thrust to weight. However depending on the assumed role of this plane the lower thrust may not be such an issue. i would think the probable role for this aircraft is a long range air defence fighter with dogfighting capability as low priority. the Tornado ADV low thrust would have been a disadvantage in a dogfight...but as a long range interceptor it was not a bad aircraft, and probably would have been successful against its primary opponents Soviet Longe Range Bombers and recce. Add the stealth factor and probable supercruise performance plus a wingplan that probably allows a large fuel tankage...this aircraft would be quite well suited denying airspace to various long range patrol/intelligence gathering assets. i would also imagine that this aircraft could also be developed into a long range strike / interdictor where thrust to weight again might not be such an issue. High speed stealthy hit and run.

Very impressive looking aircraft.....interesting blend of US and Russian design. I wonder if the final version will implement thrust vectoring? When all the control surfaces were being tested on the ground, I was half expecting the thing to transform into a giant robot.

So, we could win the title by then. 6-7 is a bit long, isn't it? you should be so lucky..this was posted by a Forest fan

I think Sukhoi were proposing an updated SU-33 using SU-35 avionics etc.... which I guess might compete with the latest MiG 29K...... however I agree that the production run of MiG 29K for India must be a driving factor..... What next!!! the return of the Su25K Su-25UTG, it was never an attack plane, just a trainer. Even in the 90s the 29K was more multirole than the Su-33 but MiG was out of favor when the USSR fell. Given the limitations of STOBAR it's possibly the better plane too. Ah right I see that the designation SU-25K relates to an export version of the SU-25. As for STOBAR, yes I remember reading that India was offered the SU-33...but space was a premium on the Gorshkov rebuild and the MiG took up less space than the Sukhoi.

I think Sukhoi were proposing an updated SU-33 using SU-35 avionics etc.... which I guess might compete with the latest MiG 29K...... however I agree that the production run of MiG 29K for India must be a driving factor..... What next!!! the return of the Su25K