Royal Navy warship 'monitoring' Russian naval vessel

HMS Dragon, a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer. Credit: MoD

A Royal Navy warship is monitoring the activity of a Russian destroyer as it transits past United Kingdom territorial waters, the Ministry of Defence has said. HMS Dragon, one of the Royal Navy's newest Type 45 destroyers moved into position last week north of Scotland to be able to respond to the activity of the Russian vessel, Vice Admiral Kulakov, the MoD said on their website.

In what the MoD are calling a "well-established and standard" response, HMS Dragon will track the Russian vessel as she transits south.

Russian Military Manoeuvres No Threat to UK

No one really believes there is any “serious intent” by Russia to threaten the UK militarily a retired senior British officer has told RIA Novosti.

“It’s a game of cat and mouse. I don’t think there is any serious intent, I don’t think anyone thinks there is any serious intent,” Crawford told RIA Novosti. “What the Russians are doing is basically a quick reconnaissance of the UK’s air defences. The same thing happens with the Danes and Norwegians,” he added.

Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford now works as an independent defence analyst and said the interception by RAF fighter jets of two Russian Tupolev Tu-95s strategic bombers flying in international airspace was “normal and commonplace” and should not be interpreted as a direct threat.“We don’t expect to be attacked by the Russians at all,” Lt Colonel Crawford said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has insisted that the flights are carried out "in strict accordance with international regulations" and do not violate the borders of other countries.


http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20140424/189350597/OPINION-Russian-Military-Manoeuvres-No-Threat-to-UK.html

Royal Navy Chief Warns on Scottish Independence

The head of the Royal Navy says that Scottish independence would weaken Britain's sea forces.
Admiral George Zambellas told the BBC Tuesday that Britain's defenses would be damaged if Scotland breaks away after a September referendum.

Zambellas, the First Sea Lord, said Britain makes a substantial maritime contribution to NATO that would be undermined if Scotland became a separate country with a separate navy."The two components would not add up to the sum of the whole," he said.Britain has ships and submarines as well as Royal Marine commando units based in Scotland.

Zambella says negotiations on these facilities would be long, difficult and expensive should Scotland become independent.Scottish leaders have said the future of the military bases could be negotiated but nuclear submarines would have to go.


http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/royal-navy-chief-warns-scottish-independence-23328714

Royal Navy shows off its latest radar system - new 'Artisan' radar system

Royal Navy hunter killer nuclear submarine - HMS Torbay (S90) ready for sea after refit

The Royal Navy nuclear-powered hunter killer submarine HMS Torbay has emerged from refit at Plymouth at the cutting edge of war-fighting and surveillance capability.

The Trafalgar Class submarine has been in a revalidated assisted maintenance period (RAMP) which has seen it upgraded and the nuclear power plant given a new lease of life.

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/News-and-Events/Latest-News/2014/March/26/140326-Torbay-ready-after-refit

GROUP PHOTO OF HMS TORBAY CREW

Britain's largest warship nears completion

CG photos


About 40 F35B joint strike fighters will operate from this ship.


Computer generated images show the HMS Queen Elizabeth docked in Portsmouth Harbour. Britain will build two of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers to enter service in 2020 (Photos BAE Systems)

Imaginary F35s parked on the deck

Cool : Liked the digital display boards.

Read more

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/defence/10723164/Britains-largest-warship-nears-completion.html

British Navy unveils mini submarine carried on board HMS Astute which can launch from under water

Mini sub attached to the HMS Astute, currently docked in Gibraltar.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2587116/Britains-super-sub-Navy-unveils-James-Bond-style-mini-submarine-carried-board-HMS-Astute-launch-water.html

Multi-Million Refit for RFA’s Biggest Ship - RFA Fort Victoria

A Birkenhead company is undertaking a refit worth over £47m for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s (RFA) biggest ship.More than 200 highly skilled engineers from Cammell Laird will refurbish RFA Fort Victoria at their Birkenhead yard.Work will include a complete overhaul of the engine, main propulsion and steering systems and replacement of six diesel generators. Accommodation on the ship will also be improved and the weapons systems overhauled.

At over 200m long and weighing 36,580 tonnes, the vessel is the largest in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s fleet and has just returned from a three year deployment during which she targeted pirates off the coast of Somalia. After its refit, the ship is due to return to service early next year.

UK Warship -HMS Argyll Fires Dummy Torpedo Into Nuclear Naval Base

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Argyll_(F231)

HMS Argyll

A British warship accidentally launched an inert torpedo during a training exercise on Wednesday, sending a dummy weapon crashing into a wharf at a naval base in southern England used by nuclear submarines.The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said an investigation was under way into the incident, which occurred at Devonport naval base in the city of Plymouth on Britain's south coast, the largest such facility in Western Europe.

"We can confirm an incident occurred onboard HMS Argyll, while alongside at Devonport Naval Base," an MoD spokesman said. "During a training exercise, an inert Test Variant Torpedo unexpectedly jettisoned onto the wharf. There was no explosion and no casualties."

Devonport, a sprawling 2.6 million sq meter site, is used by Britain's nuclear submarine fleet as well as hosting training facilities and the country's assault fleet. The MoD did not comment when asked whether any nuclear submarines were present at the time of the incident.

UK Ministry of Defence amasses £4BILLION fleet of 657 military drones for use in deadly warzones

It includes 10 Reaper MQ-9s, which are armed with Hellfire ­missiles plus laser-guided 500lb bombs and can hover 20,000ft above targets for more than 20 hours. Britain has amassed a force of 657 military drones, the Sunday People can reveal.The £4billion fleet of unmanned ­aircraft built to probe deep into the deadliest warzones is one of the largest in the world.

And they include 10 Reaper MQ-9s, which are armed with Hellfire ­missiles plus laser-guided 500lb bombs and can hover 20,000ft above targets for more than 20 hours.Drones have been blamed for a series of civilian deaths in Afghanistan in recent years – but top brass claim they have also saved the lives of scores of British troops lives by killing hundreds of Taliban insurgents.

The Afghanistan Reapers are ­piloted by a two-man crew sitting 3,500 miles away at RAF Waddington, Lincs.But most drones aren’t armed – they just spy or fly recce missions.A Freedom of Information request found the biggest number of UK drones are the 324 Black Hornet Nano micro-helicopters, ­only four inches long and an inch wide (100x25mm). They fly over insurgent ­strongholds to film and take pictures.

Then there are 222 Desert Hawks, plastic spy-drones with a 4ft 3in ­wingspan (1.3m). David Cameron held one on a visit to Afghanistan last June.For tougher operations, 54 Watchkeepers can stay aloft for 17 hours.Nine more are due in service soon to ­replace ­ageing Hermes 450s. By ­contrast 30 Tarantula Hawks weigh just 20lbs apiece and are used as recce aides by bomb-disposal teams in Afghanistan.

Lastly there are eight ScanEagles, a specialist drone being used in the ­campaign against Somali pirates.Drones are likely to make up a third of all RAF working aircraft by 2030 but human rights groups fear they could be used to spy on the innocent public. The MoD declined to comment.

British Royal Navy’s Type 26 Global Combat Ship

Images have been released of the Royal Navy's next-generation frigate - the Type 26 GCS (Global Combat Ship).
Set to replace the Royal Navy's Type 23 Frigates from 2020 onwards, the Type 26s will be tasked with a number of roles, primarily combat and anti-piracy work but also disaster relief and humanitarian operations.
The Type 23 Frigates were pressed into Royal Navy service between 1989 and 2002, with 16 built in all. Following the sale of three examples to the Chilean Navy, 13 Type 23s now remain with the Royal Navy.

Type 26 Global Combat Ship

The Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme represents a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems and these new images give some indication of this highly advanced frigate's specifications.
Approximately 148 metres long, it will displace something like 5,400 metric tons of water and feature an array of armament. It will cruise at around 28 knots and have a 7,000 mile range and an endurance of 60 days, with 36 troops on board.
Vertically-positioned missile silos will be used to house a range of weapons including Sea Ceptor air-defence missiles, while there'll also be a medium-calibre gun and space on board to accommodate one AW159 Wildcat or Merlin HM2 helicopter and numerous unmanned vehicles including UUVs.

Royal Navy Type 26

"The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be the backbone of the Royal Navy for decades to come", the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, explained in an MoD press release on the Royal Navy Type 26 GCS's launch. "It is designed to be adaptable and easily upgraded, reacting to threats as they change."
"The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be a multi-mission warship designed for joint and multinational operations across the full spectrum of warfare, including complex combat operations, maritime security operations such as counter piracy, as well as humanitarian and disaster relief work around the world", added the Royal Navy's First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope.
"It will be capable of operating independently for significant periods or as part of a task group and will play a major role in the defence of this country for many years."