Defensiebegrotingen en -problematiek, niet NL

[andré herc]

Helicopter dock ships boost defence

by: MARK DODD
From:The Australian
February 22, 2012 12:00AM

THE arrival in 2014 of the first of two 27,000-tonne Landing Helicopter Dock warships represents the biggest change to Australia's "force projection capability" since the navy's first aircraft carrier was acquired more than 60 years ago, Defence Force chief General David Hurley said yesterday.

Speaking at a key defence conference in Canberra, General Hurley said restructuring of the army's three combat brigades into an amphibious assault force - the most ambitious revamp of Australian Defence Force doctrine in decades - was on track to enable company-size ship-to-shore landings by 2018.

He acknowledged "disappointment at the state of the amphibious fleet" and pledged new maintenance practices that would ensure ships "in the right condition" were available for future missions.

Last year, the Royal Australian Navy was unable to provide support to victims of Cyclone Yasi because none of its amphibious vessels was seaworthy.

The challenges in creating an Amphibious Task Force (ATF) should not be underestimated, he warned.

voor meer
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/helicopter-dock-ships-boost-defence/story-e6frg8yo-1226277605880

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Navy buys Korean to keep its ships fuelled: £452m contract for four tankers goes to the Far EastBy Ian Drury

Last updated at 12:52 AM on 23rd February 2012

Defence Minister Peter Luff announced yesterday that a £452million contract for the support tankers had been awarded to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.
Critics said the decision was a blow to Britain's declining shipbuilding industry and to the proud naval tradition of what was once the world's greatest seafaring nation.
They also accused the Government of 'shameless hypocrisy' after David Cameron criticised India earlier this month for snubbing British industry when it awarded a £13billion deal to supply 126 fighter jets to France.
Made in Korea: How the new tanker will look. Several British companies expressed an interest in building the tankers but none submitted a final bid
At the time, sources said India had chosen 'cheap and cheerful' warplanes over quality British-built Eurofighter Typhoons.
The tankers that are being bought 'off-the-shelf' from South Korea will maintain the Navy's ability to refuel warships at sea and will provide support for amphibious and land forces close to shore.
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Argentine intellectuals brand president Kirchner's Falklands policy absurd... and say islanders should be allowed to decide their own future

Labour defence spokesman Jim Murphy said: 'This is more bad news for British industry.
'First we lose out to France over fast jets and now we lose out to South Korea over Royal Navy tankers. The country wants the Government to do more to support British industry. I'd like to see more of our defence industry with a "Made in Britain" stamp on it.'
Shipbuilding unions said the decision to buy vessels from the Far East 'beggared belief' and put at risk UK jobs and skills.
Defence Minister Peter Luff announced the £452million contract yesterday
Gary Cook, a senior officer with the GMB trade union, said: 'This is disappointing and depressing. Taxpayers' money is being exported as well as potentially jobs.
'These ships are an integral and vital part of the Royal Navy. It is not going to help us retain skills and innovation within the industry by taking work overseas.
'There appears to be shameless hypocrisy. We complain that India won't buy our warplanes, but then we send out the signal that we're not willing to buy our own ships. For an island nation, that is extraordinary.'
The four Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (Mars) tankers, from which helicopters will be able to operate, are due to enter service from 2016. They will replace single-hulled Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, which were built in the 1960s.
The new 37,000-ton vessels are 650ft long – equivalent to 14 double-decker buses – and can pump enough fuel to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools each hour.
The Ministry of Defence said several British companies expressed an interest in building the tankers but none submitted a final bid for the contract.
A source close to the defence minister initially said there was no capacity to build the tankers in UK dockyards – a claim denied by shipbuilding firms. He also said there was 'no proven track record' of building tankers in the UK.
But a defence industry insider said: 'The MoD made it clear they wanted a commercial tanker and from day one it was as plain as the nose on your face that no UK company could compete against the low labour costs.'
Mr Luff said British firms would benefit from £150million of associated contracts including providing navigation systems and equipment for the tankers.
He said the deal 'demonstrated the best value for money' for the taxpayer and that 'complex' warships would still be built in Britain.
Huge cuts to the defence budget as part of the Coalition's Strategic Defence and Security Review means that Britain's shipbuilding businesses have blank order books after work on aircraft carriers, destroyers and Type 26 frigates is completed.
Last month the Mail told how BAE Systems was considering closing the naval dockyard in Portsmouth as part of a review of its warship business, bringing to an end 800 years of shipbuilding.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2105100/Navy-buys-Korean-ships-fuelled--452m-contract-tankers-goes-Far-East.html#ixzz1nBamVydP

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

S. Korea's Daewoo wins British navy tankers deal

LONDON — South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering has won a contract to supply Britain's Royal Navy with four new tankers, the Ministry of Defence said Wednesday.

The deal to supply the 37,000-tonne tankers is worth £452 million ($709 million, 535 million euros), the MoD said.

The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) tankers are due to enter service in 2016 and will replace models that date back to the 1970s.

They can simultaneously refuel an aircraft carrier and a destroyer while undertaking helicopter resupply of other vessels.

"They are designed to allow for upgrades and emerging technologies, meaning that they have been designed with the future in mind," said Commodore Bill Walworth, head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

The tankers are more than 200 metres long and can pump enough fuel to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools in an hour.

The decision to award the tanker contract to a foreign firm sparked concerns about British defence jobs, particularly at a time when the government is slashing the military budget as it seeks to reduce the deficit.

"This is more bad news for British industry," said Jim Murphy, defence spokesman for the main opposition Labour Party.

"First we lose out to France over fast jets and now we lose out to South Korea over Royal Navy tankers," he said, referring to India's selection this month of the French Rafale fighter jet.

Copyright © 2012 AFP.

[Harald]

Ik heb het idee dat het gewoon over een grote AOR met helidek voor een Merlin of zo gaat.
EDIT: Een soort Wave klasse 2.0 zeg maar.

Als je zoekt op Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability tankers (MARS), dan zie je een aantal impressies.

even gegoogled, interessant artikel :

http://ukarmedforcescommentary.blogspot.com/p/future-force-2020-royal-navy.html

[IPA NG]

Ik zat er niet al te ver naast dan.

[Lex]

Ik heb het idee dat het gewoon over een grote AOR met helidek voor een Merlin of zo gaat.
EDIT: Een soort Wave klasse 2.0 zeg maar.

Als je zoekt op Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability tankers (MARS), dan zie je een aantal impressies.

[IPA NG]

Ik heb het idee dat het gewoon over een grote AOR met helidek voor een Merlin of zo gaat.

EDIT:

Een soort Wave klasse 2.0 zeg maar.

[Lex]

Een paar kanttekeningen bij dit project.
De vermelde prijs is een kale prijs. De vereiste "apparatuur" wordt in het VK aangebracht door lokale bedrijven.
Volgens "Sky News" gaat het hier om een bedrag van zo'n £150m.
De eenheden worden ondergebracht bij de RFA. Dat is een civiele organisatie, met civiel personeel.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Alleen veel goedkoper .

Dat was mij ook opgevallen, 113 mjn pond (€ 133,72) per schip. In perspectief, blijkbaar 3 nieuwe Engelse schepen versus één Nederlands JSS.

Volgens mij hebben de Britten zelden tot nooit een defensie project binnen het planbudget gerealiseerd, dus dit moet ik ook nog zien.

P.s. moet het elke keer over geld gaan?

[IPA NG]

A new generation of 37,000-tonne tankers is to be ordered for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to support future Royal Navy operations around the globe, the MOD has announced today.

Flink bezuinigen en toch investeren waar het nodig is

De omschrijving heeft toch wel iets weg van een JSS maar dan 10.000 ton groter!

Alleen veel goedkoper .

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

A new generation of 37,000-tonne tankers is to be ordered for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to support future Royal Navy operations around the globe, the MOD has announced today.

Flink bezuinigen en toch investeren waar het nodig is

De omschrijving heeft toch wel iets weg van een JSS maar dan 10.000 ton groter!

[andré herc]

Defence

News Article

MOD to order four new RFA tankers

An Equipment and Logistics news article

22 Feb 12

A new generation of 37,000-tonne tankers is to be ordered for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to support future Royal Navy operations around the globe, the MOD has announced today.


The new Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) tankers will maintain the Royal Navy's ability to refuel at sea and will provide fuel to warships and task groups.

They will support deployed amphibious, land and air forces close to the shore, will be able to operate helicopters, and are planned to enter service from 2016, replacing existing Royal Fleet Auxiliary single-hulled tankers.

At over 200 metres long, the four tankers will be approximately the same length as 14 double-decker buses and be able to pump enough fuel to fill two olympic-sized swimming pools in an hour.

Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, announced that Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) is the Government's preferred bidder for the deal. This represents the best value for taxpayers' money, with £452m to be spent on the four new vessels to support the Royal Navy on operations around the world.

A number of British companies took part in the competition, but none submitted a final bid for the build contract. In light of this, the best option for Defence, and value for money for taxpayers, is for the tankers to be constructed in South Korea by DSME.

voor meer zie link

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/ModToOrderFourNewRfaTankers.htm
Flink bezuinigen en toch investeren waar het nodig is

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Carriers' precise future is still up in the air

Published on Monday 20 February 2012 15:51

As building work on the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers progresses at a rate of knots, exactly how the ships will be put to use when they enter service in 2020 is not fully known.

The contract for HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, the largest warships ever built for the navy, was announced with much fanfare back in 2008.

The 65,000-tonne warships, which will be based in Portsmouth, were initially estimated to cost £3.9bn and enter service in 2014 and 2016.

But almost four years later, design changes and a government-ordered delay has seen costs bloat to £5.2bn.

And that's not the end to the rising costs of the project after the government decided to change the type of fast jets it wants for the carriers in 2010's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

Initially, ministers wanted the jump-jet variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F-35B, which is in development in the US.

Like the navy's old Harrier jets, F-35Bs are designed to use their engines to hover on take-offs and landings.

But now the UK has plumped for the cheaper F-35C JSF jet which needs a conventional run-up and requires expensive catapult and arrestor gear to take off and land from a ship's deck.

Ministers have said it will cost an extra £1.2bn per ship to fit the gear and the Ministry of Defence is conducting a study to decide whether it can afford to fit both carriers or just one with the equipment.

The study is due to end in December, but sources say it is likely that the second carrier, Prince of Wales, will be the one fitted with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System being developed by General Atomics in the US.

This is because of difficulties in retro-fitting Queen Elizabeth now after so much of the construction work for her has already been done.

The first carrier would therefore initially enter service as a so-called helicopter carrier without any jets able to fly from her flight deck. That is if she enters service at all.

In the SDSR, Prime Minister David Cameron said one of the ships will be mothballed to start with to save cash. The MoD will not confirm which carrier it will mothball until it completes its study in December.

But sources say it's likely that Queen Elizabeth will be the one kept in reserve.

This has drawn strong criticism, including from MP Thomas Docherty, a member of the Commons Defence Select Committee, who warned: 'When we eventually get a functioning aircraft carrier, it will only be part-time. We will only be able to operate it for perhaps 150 days of the year, so we must be really hopeful that those who seek to attack us only do it on the five or six months a year when we are able to respond.

'It reminds me of Asterix the Gaul and the scene where he comes to Britain and the British have gone home at 5 o'clock to have their tea.'

Defence minister Gerald Howarth told The News back in August last year that he hoped the decision could be reversed come 2015 so both carriers could enter service.

But this optimism has been blunted following a report by parliament's Public Accounts Committee this month which warned the MoD will struggle to increase its budget by one per cent post-2015.

The report said: 'In the light of current economic conditions that assumption may be unrealistic.'

This is not to mention the significant challenges being faced by defence firm Lockheed Martin which is running the JSF programme.

Last year, a prototype F-35C failed a series of ship landing tests in Florida because the distance between the plane's tailhook and the arrestor wire which catches it on the deck was too far apart.

It was the latest setback in the global jets project to supply JSF planes to 10 countries, which at $380bn is the most expensive military-industrial programme ever.

The UK has already sunk more than £2bn into the JSF scheme, but the developers stress the design problems can be overcome. That has not stopped dissenting voices within the navy calling for a squadron of different aircraft to be procured as an interim replacement for F-35C.

Sources say the MoD has drafted contingency plans to loan US F-18 super hornets or French Rafale jets to be used from the new carrier until the F-35s are ready. It's understood around a dozen navy pilots are currently on exchange tours with US and French forces to practice flying those nations' planes.

It's also been suggested that the government may revert back to its original order for F-35B jets, which would negate the need to invest in catapult and arrestor gear for the new carriers.

This was denied by the MoD, which said it is '100 per cent committed' to the F-35Cs.

However, at a time when global powers are cutting military spending – which saw the US Department of Defense postpone its order for 179 JSF jets and Italy slash its number of F-35s on order from 131 to 90 last week – the planes may end up costing Britain twice as much than the estimated $80m per aircraft quoted back in 2002.

The UK has indicated it aims to buy 138 F-35 jets. But the MoD has said the navy will have only six jets by the time the carriers are due to come into service in 2020. The navy will still only have 12 F-35s by 2023.

An MoD spokeswoman said: 'The more capable carrier variant of the joint strike fighter fast jet (F-35C) will begin operating from our aircraft carrier from 2020, with six UK jets available for operations. By 2023, this number will increase to 12 UK jets onboard and we will be able to work with our allies to increase that number because of the interoperability that the carrier variant joint strike fighter allows.'

Lockheed Martin's US executives flew to the UK last week – including the company's senior vice president Patrick Dewar – and met the head of the navy, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, and other MoD officials at a dinner aboard HMS Victory in Portsmouth.

Speaking to The News, the First Sea Lord refused to be drawn on whether the navy is looking to loan F-18s or Rafales while it waits for its F-35s.

He said: 'The navy is committed to the F-35 programme, but more importantly so is the government. The policy position of the government is to have fixed-wing aircraft from the sea and the SDSR made it clear that was going to be F-35. We will have F-35 on our carriers in the future.'

Lockheed's UK chief executive Stephen Ball said the tailhook problems with the F-35C were being addressed.

He said: 'The program is in the development phase and you have to expect some of these developmental glitches as you go along, but there's no fundamental technological problems with the aeroplane. It's hitting all of its test points. It's coming back from most test flights without any issues.

'The issues with the tailhook has been blown out of all proportion. It's a minor technical issue which we have a fix for already. That's why you have a test program, for that sort of thing.'

Asked if he was concerned the MoD may opt to bring in other aircraft for its new carriers, Mr Ball said: 'Those are issues for the MoD to wrestle with.'

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/lifestyle/carriers_precise_future_is_still_up_in_the_air_1_3541250

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

In het euroleger verdedigt Frankrijk onze landsgrens

Als je zijn pistool wegbezuinigt, heb je dan de politieagent nog nodig? Het is de toestand van Europese legers, geteisterd door bezuinigingen. De krijgsmachten worden kleiner en kleiner. Wat houden we over?

De eurocrisis maakt het verleidelijk nog meer mannen in camouflageplakken weg te saneren en hun speelgoed te verkopen. Maar dan kan Europa z'n krijgsmachten wel opdoeken. Nu is de economische grootmacht al volstrekt afhankelijk van militaire supermacht Amerika.

Zie Libië. Steenrijke Europese landen proberen een armlastige dictator uit zijn zandbak te jagen. Maar na een paar maanden bombarderen zijn de bommen op en de vliegtuigen versleten. De Amerikanen moeten helpen (net als bij het openingssalvo van kruisraketten).

Louter een gummiknuppel
Het probleem? Europese landen willen nu allemaal een eigen stoere politieagent uitrusten met robuuste dienstauto en zwaar kaliber pistool. Dat lukt niet. Dus heeft Europa een klasje agenten in gammele roestbakken, versleten uniformen en hebben sommige dienders louter een gummiknuppel.

De krijgsmachten zullen de taken moeten verdelen. Duitsland levert de dienstauto, Italianen het uniform, Tsjechië het pistool en Frankrijk de zonnebril. Dat vindt niemand leuk, want iedereen wil z'n eigen politieauto besturen. Soevereiniteit heet dat.

De Adviesraad Internationale Vraagstukken schreef een advies over soevereiniteit en Europese defensiesamenwerking. Over de Nederlandse soevereiniteit is de Adviesraad kort: die bestaat niet meer. De Nederlandse krijgsmacht kan in z'n eentje toch niks meer, dus wat mekkeren we nou. We trekken alleen ten strijde tegen dictators of piraten met anderen.

Samen met de Belgen
Dus lekker samenwerken. Samen vliegtuigen huren, soldaatjes trainen, kogels inkopen. Nederland doet dat natuurlijk ook. We delen marineschepen met België, een legerkorps met Duitsland en amfibische stoottroepen met de Britten.

Maar taakspecialisatie gaat verder. Welk onderdeel van de Europese defensie zou Nederland op zich moeten nemen? En waarmee moeten we stoppen? De Adviesraad is daar heel voorzichtig over. We kunnen de verdediging van onze kust en ons luchtruim delen met de Belgen. Tja, dat is een heel klein stapje. Maar zouden we ooit onze landsgrenzen durven te laten verdedigen door Duitsers of Fransen?

Rinze Benedictus

http://925.nl/archief/2012/02/17/in-het-euroleger-verdedigt-frankrijk-onze-landsgrens

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

France and Britain find defence a unifying force

Anglo-French declaration reflects need for military co-operation at time of budget cuts and shifting US attentions

Richard Norton-Taylor

guardian.co.uk, Friday 17 February 2012 17.36 GMT

They may row over the euro, compete like tigers over the sale of fighters to India, but there is one area in which Britain and France can co-operate for both political and pragmatic reasons. That is defence – where the US has made it clear that Europeans will in future have to look after themselves as Washington turns its attention to the Pacific, and China in particular.

France and Britain account for nearly half of Europe's defence spending, Friday's joint declaration on security and defence proudly points out. For decades, even through the heavy Gaullist periods, the two countries respected each other's armed forces – and no others in Europe. Severe pressure on national defence budgets have brought them closer together as last year's treaties on security co-operation made clear.

The two countries worked well together in the skies over Libya and David Cameron clearly appreciates Nicolas Sarkozy's bullish foreign policy.

But the practical significance of Friday's declaration was being played down – while it trumpets the idea of a "joint force headquarters", there is as yet no agreement where that should be based, Whitehall officials said. And the declaration made no mention of continuing commitment to Afghanistan. Sarkozy last month announced that French troops would no longer have a combat role after the end of 2013, a year earlier that the UK and US timetable.

Nevertheless, there are obvious candidates for co-operation. One is the production of unmanned drones. British and French firms have been slow to respond to the fast-growing demand for these surveillance and weapons systems.

BAE of Britain and Dassault of France – locked in battle over the sale of fighter jets to India – will now join forces to produce combat drones.

At sea, the British used to laugh at the French for only having one aircraft carrier which always seemed to be going wrong. Now, the British have none, waiting for the construction of two redesigned so that they will be equipped with a catapult and arrestor gear system similar to those adopted by the French.

Dassault's Rafale aircraft – which the Indians have say they prefer to BAE's Eurofighter/Typhoon – would be able to land on Britain's new carriers while the Royal Navy continues to wait for the promised, much-delayed and increasingly expensive, joint strike fighter.

The aim, said Friday's declaration is to have "by the early 2020s, the ability to deploy a UK-French integrated carrier strike group incorporating assets owned by both countries".

On the ground, the two countries' armies have been conducting more and more exercises. Later this year, a large French-UK exercise, Corsican Lion, will take place in the Mediterranean and involve sea, land and air forces. Britain's relationship with France is taking on a very military flavour.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/feb/17/france-britain-declaration-defence-cooperation?newsfeed=true