I am sure least I hope that the professionals ARE having these conversations, and that the Maplins helicopter swarm is I doubt a threat to most of our systems/ aircraft whatever, IF it is expecting trouble.

Likewise I am sure those in the know have though of a dozen different otherthings Maplins sell that could do nasty things when tweeked….

I was merely pointing out that commerically there is kit that can be used to put together some potwentially dangerous stuff- ok not in stormshadow class.

However remeber one of the problems with millitary kit is that by and large by the time it gets int service the electronics can be stone age…

Eg reasons given for the retirement of both concorde and space shuttle was that gettting componants for the electronics was becoming impossible.

One of the reasons for the F35 is that some of the electronics on the F16, are early 70′s!

As the rate of electronic advance gets faster and faster, what can be done with it becomes more and more of an issues.

OK lets fry it with a juiced up sampson, only the next big advance in consumer electrics will probably be emp hardened, to withstand potential terrorst devices and ‘sunstorm’ (there are govt meteings about how to role this out going on now).

Making stuff go very fast and go bang when it gets there is very simple technology, for chrisakes Top gear launched a reliant robin thousands of feet in the air. The tricky bit has always been guiding it-that is getting easier and easier.

I am not panicing or trying to start one, just saying the professionals had better be sititng arround with cups of coffee occasionaly discussing this stuff

You mean kinetically or soft?

Wish I had never posted the bloomin’ link now.

Ok RPG warhead not going to kill a T45, but several could give it a headache.. after all Sampson would not react well to a direct hit…

Good!

Of course if the Maplins specials happend to be chaff for a half decent ASM turning radar up to 11, not good.

Or what if Maplins special targeting for somthing a bit more warry.

Or T45 not in clear water giving it 12 mins warning etc etc

Just saying do not underestimate what few geeks can knock up given time.

After all we lost a ship in the nameless isles because some argies welded an excocet case to the back of a truck.

Or they could use x’s emp deathray to do it As long as it works.

“Flak curtain time…”

You’d need to hit a warship with a hell of a lot of RPG warheads before you sunk it, or even scored a mission kill. At 100 mph those helicopters come over the T45′s radar horizon about 12 minutes before they reach the ship itself. Forget about Sea Viper, that’s enough time to fire 300 114mm rounds. Flak curtain time…

As I suggested a while back in one of my posts on this site. Technology is moving on and opening not only new vistas for weapons but cheap ones as well.

The RM used to be called Millets marines because their kit was so crap they had to buy most of it from Millets.

Perhaps we will soon be in the era of Maplin’s Navy/ AAC,,, BTW if we can do it so can terrorists…/ Iran/ whatever…

What price a T45′s silo of big anti air weapons when a hundred toy Helicopters each carrying an RPG warhead appear over the horizon??? at 100 mph.

I was of course painting a scenario
- if you buy, today, a complete system with 55 UAVs with those payloads, minus the laser designators, that will be euros 30m
- a good number for 6-7 bde’s?

i think i might get to see that UAV at the end of the month.

If you need the images direct to the firing battery, then the range limitation is 15 km.
-if you also have a relay up in the air, then the range is the same as for GMLRS

And at these prices you can afford to lose a few

How about a swarm of slightly bigger ones, flown from the back seats of a Wildcat. For a 5kg payload you can also have on each UAV a stabilised laser designator. Have two or three Apaches, and the area covered, with immediate reaction to anything found is enormous

http://defense-update.com/20120503_mississippi_delivered.html

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/05/03/the-navys-new-sub-comes-in-a-year-early-how/

As Punch would say, “That’s the way to do it!!”

At least we can say we arent alone in procurement and modification cluster mucks…

“They flog you some dead ducks of submarines and won’t give you compensation and then give you £2 million to go away and be quiet”

Sir Humphry on his blog mentioned the Aussies desires and problems in sub procurement and ops; with canada and Australia both wanting subs; could some sort of joint industry option be available for our sub industry? Germany could cash in on that, as we lost our diesel boat industry…Dunno.

Also worthy to note there are strong grumblings about their F35 procurement as well.

http://homemadedefense.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/sterling-762-nato.html

Mad or what?

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120423/DEFREG01/304230003/U-K-May-Ditch-Plan-New-Helo-Trainers?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

http://dalyhistory.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/daring-knackered/

FFS