Armée Britannique

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HMS ARGYLL

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HMS Dauntless

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HMS Liverpool Decommissioning Ceremony.

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HMS Ark



HMS Bulwark



HMS Triumph

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HMS BULWARK


[imghttp://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/547902_10151089704388205_1706120604_n.jpg[/img]

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HMS Iron

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HMS DIAMOND

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le commandement des forces spéciales avise sur le risque de l'abandon du C-130 sur ses opérations

حذّر قادة القوات الخاصة البريطانية من أن الاستغناء عن طائرات النقل من طراز (هرقل) ستكون له مضاعفات كبيرة للغاية على عملياتهم السرية. وقالت صحيفة "صندي اكسبريس" الأحد إن طائرات النقل (هرقل 130 سي)، تشكل العمود الفقري لسلاح الجو الملكي البريطاني لكن وزارة الدفاع قررت سحبها من الخدمة بموجب التدابير التي اتخذتها الحكومة الائتلافية البريطانية لقطع نفقات الدفاع. واضافت أن طائرات نقل عسكرية من طراز (إيرباص إي 400 إم أطلس)، المستخدمة من قبل فرنسا وألمانيا وإيطاليا واسبانيا وتركيا وبلجيكا، ستحل محل طائرات هرقل وتدخل الخدمة في سلاح الجو الملكي البريطاني بحلول العام 2018. وأوضحت الصحيفة إن طائرة إيرباص الملقبة "الدب" هي ضعف حجم طائرة النقل العسكرية هرقل، كما أن طولها يُعادل طول ثماني حافلات للنقل العام.

واشارت إلى أن قادة القوات الخاصة البريطانية طلبوا 10 ملايين جنيه استرليني من وزارة دفاع بلادهم لانفاقها على صيانة أسطول صغير من طائرات النقل (هرقل) بقصد الاحتفاظ به بالخدمة لعملياتهم السرية، بعد أن حذروها من أن الاستغناء عن هذه الطائرات سيحد بشكل كبير من قدرات قواتهم على الذهاب وراء خطوط العدو من دون اكتشاف.

ونسبت الصحيفة إلى مصدر وصفته بالبارز بالقوات الخاصة البريطانية قوله "إن طائرة النقل (إيرباص) ضخمة جداً بالنسبة لعملياتنا ويمكن أن تنفجر اطاراتها إذا ما هبطت في الصحراء، ونحن بحاجة لطائرات هرقل". كما نقلت عن متحدث باسم وزارة الدفاع البريطانية "نحن لا نعلّق على عمليات القوات الخاصة كما أن طائرات هرقل ستستمر بممارسة دور النقل الجوي حتى عام 2022 إلى جانب طائرات إيرباص".

http://www.alriyadh.com/2012/08/06/article757821.html

[dil@w]

Des forces britanniques sont bien déployées en Somalie

Les photos de Simon Maina, un photographe somalien qui travaille pour l'AFP et Getty Images, sont presque passées inaperçues. Elles montrent des soldats britanniques, en treillis multicam, dans le camp d'Afgoye, tout près de Mogadiscio.

L'identification de ces militaires n'est pas établie mais l'un d'eux portait un badge des troupes aéroportées (jump wings) et un autre un badge du Royal Army Medical Corps (voir la photo ci-dessous). Leur présence a été confirmée par Londres qui a expliqué qu'une équipe de dix conseillers stationnait au QG de l'Amisom, à Mogadiscio. Ces soldats seraient chargés de missions de plannification, communication, soutien médical au profit des casques verts de l'UA.

Or, les photos de Simon Maina ont été prises à Afgoye, ville reprise aux miliciens islamistes il y a quelques jours. En zone de combat.

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-fran ... malie.html

[AAF 2020]

Les Tornado britanniques en service jusqu'en 2019

La retraite à 45 ans, ça a de quoi faire rêver, surtout au Royaume-Uni. La Royal Air Force (RAF) a fixé le retrait de ses derniers Tornado en mars 2019, soit 45 ans après le premier vol du vénérable avion de combat produit par le consortium européen Panavia. Il sera alors remplacé par le F-35 de l'Américain Lockheed Martin, ainsi que par l'Eurofighter Typhoon. Le Tornado a été de tous les conflits britannique depuis la première guerre du Golfe.

La nouvelle a d'abord été diffusée lors des résultats semestriels de BAE Systems, membre du consortium Panavia, le 2 août. Le groupe industriel britannique révélait que la date lui avait été confirmé par le ministère de la Défense (MoD). Le lendemain, l'annonce a été reprise par le British Forces Broadcasting Service.

Depuis le 1er juin 2011, la RAF ne dispose plus que de cinq escadrons de première ligne sur Tornado GR4 – dernière version britannique de l'appareil – à la mi-2011, soit un total de 136 appareils. C'est son seul avion d'attaque au sol tout-temps et de reconnaissance tactique réellement éprouvé en attendant le F-35 qui doit entrer en service en 2018, ou une montée en puissance de l'Eurofighter dans le domaine air-sol.

Le nombre exact de F-35B (version à décollage court et atterrissage vertical – STOVL) que recevra le Royaume-Uni (RAF et Royal Navy) n'est pas connu, mais tourne actuellement autour d'une cinquantaine d'exemplaires. Un faible total dû aux coupes claires pratiquées par le gouvernement britannique dans le budget de la Défense. Un premier F-35B a été livré au Royaume-Uni le 19 juillet dernier pour évaluation.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/les-t ... -2019.html

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Le design de la nouvelle type 26 Global Combat Ship (T26 GCS) dévoilé



EDIT: ajout de la vidéo
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg6ipxb9HaU[/video]
Computer-generated image of the basic specification of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship

The latest design of the Royal Navy's Type 26 Global Combat Ship (T26 GCS), the next generation of warships, has been unveiled today.
The Ministry of Defence has released images showing the basic specification of the T26 GCS, which is a significant milestone in the development of this programme. The creation of the vessel will sustain thousands of jobs in the shipbuilding industry.

The multi-mission warship, which is due to come into service after 2020, will be used by the Royal Navy in combat and counter-piracy operations, and to support humanitarian and disaster relief work around the world.

Since 2010 the MOD has been working with BAE Systems to determine the ship's basic capabilities and baseline design.

Now that has been endorsed, the programme can progress to the next part of the assessment phase, which will examine the detailed specifications of the vessel.

With a displacement of around 5,400 tonnes, the T26 GCS will be around 148m in length (the equivalent of around 15 double-decker buses), and among the most advanced vessels in the Royal Navy's fleet.

The T26 GCS is expected to feature:

• vertical missile silos capable of housing a range of different weapons

• a medium-calibre gun

• a hangar to accommodate a Merlin or Wildcat helicopter, and a flexible mission space for unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles, or additional boats

• the most advanced sensors available to the fleet.
The T26 GCS is one of several projects, including the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, which will see UK shipbuilding provide world class equipment for the Royal Navy.

The Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, said:

"The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be the backbone of the Royal Navy for decades to come. It is designed to be adaptable and easily upgraded, reacting to threats as they change.

"I am delighted the programme has been endorsed by the investment approvals committee. The build of these vessels will secure thousands of skilled jobs across the UK, helping to sustain an industrial surface warship capability."

The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, said:

"The T26 GCS 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.

"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."

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... rships.htm

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La RAF modernise (entre autres) son plus célèbre Chinook: le Bravo November ayant vu plusieurs théâtres d’opération

The Ministry of Defence is spending £408 million to upgrade its Chinook helicopter fleet. Each of its Mark II Chinooks is having new computers installed which will make it easier to navigate and fly the choppers.

RAF Chinook ZA718 is the force's most prestigious helicopter. Named Bravo November after its tail-wing identification BN, she has seen action in the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Lebanon, Germany and Kurdistan.

Now the twin-blade aircraft is being reinforced with hard drives and maps which reduce the workload of the pilots, shares navigation with the loadmaster and makes the Chinook safer to fly whilst on operational tours.

Flight Lieutenant Steve Badham of Chinook Development Flight told Channel 4 News: "The loadmaster has the moving map tablets which talk to each other, so he can actually do the re-planning on my behalf to allow me to concentrate on flying the aircraft, look out the window and look for threats."

Battle-scarred veteran

Bravo November has evaded several major disasters by the thinnest of margins in its 30-year history. In doing so, four of its pilots have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). BN earned the nickname "the survivor" during the Falklands War in 1982, when it was the only Chinook to survive an Argentine Exocet missile attack on its carrier ship, the Atlantic Conveyor. BN, luckily, was out on a test flight at the time.

The pilot of BN that day was Flight Lieutenant John Kennedy. Shortly after the incident he told ITN: "An hour later the Conveyor was hit. We were out across to the east, about 40 miles away with HMS Glasgow. If you think about the circumstances that happened it really was a lucky escape."

In May later that year BN flew into the sea during a heavy snowstorm on its way back to San Carlos Water. With visibility virtually non-existent, its pilot, Squadron Leader Richard ‘Dick' Langworthy managed to give enough throttle to accelerate the Chinook out of the water, hundreds of feet back in the sky within seconds.

For this effort he became the first to win the DFC whilst in control of BN's cockpit. There still lies a plaque in that cockpit in memory of the pilot.

During the opening night of the Iraq War in 2003, Squadron Leader Steve Carr became the second DFC when delivering Royal Marines to the Al Faw Peninsula to seize a major oil refinery.

Three years later in 2006 whilst flying in Afghanistan a third DFC was won by Flight Lieutenant Craig Wilson. He rescued several soldiers under heavy fire despite having been on duty for over 22 hours.

The latest Bravo November DFC awarded pilot is Flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune. In 2010 he landed BN under fire to rescue casualties. During the evacuation and whilst still in the air, he was shot at 12 times. One bullet ricocheted through the cockpit and hit his head, gashing his face. Despite this attack, Flt Lt Fortune managed to return the troops safely back to base.

He told Channel 4 News: "When you're flying it, although it's like flying any of the other frames we have, there is just a little something there, a little bit of extra magic from time to time."

Talking about the attack he survived in "the survivor", Flt Lt Fortune added: "At first, confusion reigns really. I didn't know what had happened in the first second or two. Once I'd realised I felt quite a sense of elation that I'd just been hit by a bullet and that I'd survived."

http://www.channel4.com/news/upgrade-fo ... helicopter

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La Royal Navy est en manque critique de sous-mariniers

Internal documents warn that a lack of recruits for the Submarine Service may leave attack submarines and boats carrying the Trident nuclear missile stranded in port.
A separate threat comes from a predicted 15 per cent shortfall in engineers by 2015.
One in seven posts for weapons officers at the rank of lieutenant will also be vacant, raising operational questions over the boats equipped with nuclear and cruise missiles.
Many submariners are being poached by the civilian nuclear sector and those who remain are being forced to go to sea for longer and more frequently.
Adml Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, said the situation was “very worrying” and he hoped the Navy had mechanisms in place to make up for the shortfall.
The gaps facing the Submarine Service are disclosed in the Risk Register of the Defence Nuclear Executive Board.
Under the “Risk” heading of “Submarine Manpower”, the MoD’s internal safety watchdog said: “There is a risk that the RN will not have sufficient suitably qualified and experienced personnel to be able to support the manning requirement of the submarine fleet.”
The Navy has a fleet of six attack submarines and four Vanguard boats that carry the Trident nuclear missile, but the personnel issues could mean they cannot be deployed.
The report found that the recruiting and retention of submariners was also threatening operations. “Inability to recruit, retain and develop sufficient nuclear and submarine design qualified personnel will result in an inability to support the Defence Nuclear Programme,” the document said.
It also questioned whether industry can deliver the Trident replacement, warning of the “erosion of manufacturing capability, cost growth, time delay, and poor performance of contractors”. The Navy is carrying out a senior officer manpower review looking at ways to improve “quality of life” for submariners. It is understood that some submarines are putting to sea with only 85 per cent of their full complement.
Submariners are subsequently being forced to deploy more frequently and do more jobs. When the hunter-killer HMS Triumph returned home earlier this year it had been at sea for 13 out of the previous 17 months. There are 5,000 submariners in the Navy, but with deployments lasting four months or more continuously under the surface it is proving difficult to attract recruits.
A “dearth of experienced mid-career people” is threatening the Service and would continue “into the next decade”, warned the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator annual report.
Lord West said: “There’s no doubt that recruiting and keeping highly qualified nuclear engineers has been tough. Nuclear engineers have also become highly sought-after by the civil industry as this country has not trained enough.” A redacted copy of the Risk Register was provided to the Nuclear Information Service. Peter Burt, the director of NIS, which promotes nuclear safety awareness, said: “These risks highlight major pitfalls ahead and that Trident replacement is far from a forgone conclusion. How effective we are at mastering these risks will determine whether Britain can remain in the nuclear weapons business.”
A Navy spokesman said: "This report recognises that the Royal Navy has sufficient manpower for its submarines and we are confident that this will remain the case.
“To ensure that the Royal Navy continues its excellent nuclear safety record, we review the nuclear propulsion programme to identify and manage any possible future risks; this report is part of that process.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... rines.html

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Londres dégraisse la tête du mammouth de son ministère de la Défense

Londres poursuit ses coupes, souvent claires, dans les rangs de ses forces armées. Une récente mesure concerne une coupe que l'on pourrait qualifier de "sombre" mais qui a une portée symbolique non négligeable. Un quart des officiers supérieurs et hauts fonctionnaires civils en poste au cabinet du ministre de la Défense vont voir leurs postes supprimés. C'est le MoD qui l'annonce (cliquer ici pour lire le texte).
La mesure entrera en vigueur en avril 2013 et permettra d'économiser 3,8 millions de £ par an.
Un quart? Soit 26 personnes. Ce n'est pas une coupe, c'est une épilation!

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-fran ... um=twitter

[dil@w]

Le premier Typhoon Tranche 3 entre en production sur le site de Samlesbury

Under the Tranche 3A contract signed in 2009, a total of 112 aircraft have been ordered for the four European partner nations, with 40 aircraft bound for the Royal Air Force. Deliveries of Tranche 3 aircraft are expected to start in 2013.

Building on the success of the Typhoons already proven in service, as demonstrated during Libyan Operations, Tranche 3 aircraft will be even more capable.

The Tranche 3 front fuselage, part of the British single seat aircraft number 116, includes over 350 modified parts designed, engineered and assembled ready to incorporate the most advanced capability enhancements.

Those enhancements include provision for conformal fuel tanks and a fuel dump system which will enable Typhoon to fly further and stay on mission longer. Also included are extra electrical power and cooling to cater for an E-Scan radar which will enhance performance, reliability and availability whilst delivering lower support costs for Typhoon customers. Extra computing power and high speed data network systems will give the aircraft capacity for even more capability in the future.

Mark Bowman, BAE Systems’ Chief Test Pilot said: “This represents the next significant milestone in the evolution of this remarkable combat aircraft. The new provisions including for example, conformal tanks and an ESCAN radar capability not only pave the way for more war-winning advantages such as range, detection and persistence, but ensure that the aircraft remains at the forefront of combat aviation for decades to come. I look forward enormously to putting this exciting piece of cutting-edge technology through its paces when it takes to the skies in the near future.”

http://www.baesystems.com/article/BAES_ ... -the-front