Shipbucket

More glum news, or at least statement of the obvious!
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... s-warn-mps

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Interwar RN Capital Ships
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Are we outsourcing our defense... like everything the Tory govenment has done?

Even much more worse
On French newspapers, I read that the French-navy send 6 submariners naval-officers to the royal-navy
(because the royal navy currently suffered from (very !) serious submarine-crews & technical expertise shortage)

Wouldn't read too much into that, French submariners have often joined submarine crews on co-operation and to participate in Punisher.
On the other hand, the RN is suffering from a manpower problem and retention of personnel is a problem too.

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English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Just to clarify on what's obviously not mentioned by the Telegraph: Navy Recognition states that the 2018 deadline is the end of shelf-line for the Harpoons in stock.
A British tie-in to the Perseus program is mentioned, but there might be a wide discrepancy in IOC (betweem 2018 and 2030...).
In the meantime, there is always the possibility of purchasing surplus US Harpoons of newer Blocks, or buying a batch of whatever the US comes up with, co-developing an anti-ship version of the Scalp Naval.

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There are always NSM. Just plug and play. And even the US are planning to produce it under licens

Yeah, the Harpoon stocks are aging. With the tight budgets its possible that the government hopes it could acquire some from the US at short notice if it needs them.
So far there has been no mention of equipping the new P-8 fleet with Harpoon, but that would probably be possible too since they will be almost stock US standard from what I understand.

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Probably from early 1980's, some may be newer, Hellenic Navy also has such old Harpoon stock, purchased with the Elli Class frigates in 1981-82. Harpoon is turbojet powered, so I believe that the problem is the warhead and electronics-if something in there has specific life. Fuel also could be a problem, not sure about what fuel the Teledyne J402 turbojet burns-that is the engine that powers Harpoon missile, at least Block I round. In Exocet MM38 anf MM40 Block 1/2, only problem with age is the rocket engines, which need replacement every 10 or 15 years (not remember what I have read about), warhead is much more long lived if maintained and stored properly. May Harpoon's booster needs also replacement or rebuilt after its life ends.

The SIPRI database quotes no non-submarine Harpoon delivery to the UK after 1988, with according to them the only RGM-84 batch of ca. 100 delivered to arm the Type-22 and Type-23 frigates. Only later batch quoted is 20 UGM-84s in ca. 2001.
If that checks out, then the shelf life looks expired indeed.
AFAIK a Harpoon's fuel tank can be emptied during maintenance and the fuel replaced, but don't quote me on this.

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Soviet Century/Cold War 2020 Alternate Universe: Soviet and other Cold War designs 1990-2020.
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