Warrior
The Westminster are proposing to annouce that the army's new light tanks will not be built in the UK.
The government had been told the 30 year old Scimitar tanks presently in service needed to be replaced and had recommended that the CV90 armoured reconnaissance tank be built by BAE Systems in Newcastle and Telford.
Our 'listening' Prime Minister seems to have dismissed the army's preferences and gave the £1 billion contract to the US arms manufacturer General Dynamics.
Initial BAE plans to cut 500 jobs in Britain and for the manufacture in Sweden of most of the parts for a sophisticated vehicle offering greater firepower than the current generation of Scouts in Afghanistan, have been quickly ditched. BAE is now promising to create or sustain 800 jobs in Britain, 500 of them in Newcastle, the home of Britain's last tank-making facility.
The Scout order is part of a bigger armoured vehicle replacement programme that also involves the Warrior. The Warrior upgrade has been delayed because of spending constraints and uncertainty about its firepower but ministers say there is no intention of cancelling the contract for a frontline armoured vehicle.
Our country is at war. Why can't decisions be taken swiftly? There are plenty extremely knowledgeable people in the Army who know the detail of tank requirements. Get the tanks built and out to our troops. It's appalling they're operating with 30-year-old equipment. Dare I suggest the money is taken out of the climate change propaganda fund.
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18 comments:
Are we at war? Sorry, I thought we'd sent a bunch of kids armed with peashooters to be killed in Afganistan by terrorists with landmines.
I would like to see them home, safely. We don't need tanks. We need a big boat and some common sense.
Perhaps I misunderstand.
I seem to remember the Russians misunderstood too, not so very long ago.
On the positive side maybe Yank tanks will withstand the Yank shells they will inevitably fire at our boys...
After all that we have been through over this subject, you would think that the half witted prime minister might consider that the best thing to do would be to buy what the army suggests.
Typically, probably trying to curry favour with Obama so that the next time they meet it won't be when Brown is sent to the kitchen to make the tea, and he meets Obama coming back for the toilet, Brown does the opposite.
I can feel the nausea climbing as I think about the odious creep.
How dare you say climate change is not real.
Look at all the evidence ammased over 100 years when the planet is only 4 thousand six hundered million years old and has been much hotter and much colder than now in the past.
I for 1 am worried about the death of panda's, otters, seals, polar bears, those green things that grow in the forrest, glaciers and also those islands somewhere down in the south where those people talk funny............err yes Canvey Island.
Cant let all that disappear and it will be gone by 2011.
I for 1 love getting my arse taxed off for some scaremongering bollox.
Uncle Marvo they are not kids.......they are the most efficient and proffessional group of people at what they do, given the government that controls both their actions and budgets.
However given better equipment, not been overseen by a cretin like Ainsworth, not having a lyng bastard of a PM like we do I dare say they would be safer, better taken care of and the loss of life a fraction of what it is.
Sorry just saying !
@LOTF:
I understand your point, "kids" refers to the age of these poor sods. They deserve a life.
I have respect for (most of) them.
They are kids to me. Children of Great Britain.
Bring them back. It's a complete, utter, waste of time, effort, money and not least of all, life.
It will not stop terrorism, never would. If the fuckers can't behave when you leave them alone, let the Yanks nuke the bastards.
Just saying, that's all.
Now pop over to CSR's place, he's got a good 'un.
@ Marvo,
No worries, Yep I pop in old Cold Steel now and then...will do
Prices of Scimitars have crashed on the second hand weapons market.
Problem is their age and limitations have been exposed so the insurgents aiming to be re-constituted as governments want a better more efficient model to front their anti insurgency tactics.
Meanwhile the chances of Mr G Brown getting a richly rewarding consultancy role from BAE systems is highly unlikely. Whereas his networking contacts with the Pentagon, Goldman Sachs and the Carlyle Group will ensure his fall from politics will be softened by many golden parachutes.
But why worry; we'd have to import the steel and most of the parts in order to build the things anyway. And another billion is only a drop in the ocean of debt created by the same Incapability Brown in order to save the banks so they can continue to asset strip the UK and most of us who live in it.
I don't think you misunderstand Marvo, I think that's the problem with our politicians.
Maybe Rain, maybe.
Tris, don't let Brown interfere with your appetite. He'd love that. :)
Oh dear LotF, I dare say it because I don't believe we're totally responsible.
Scaremonger bollox - perfect!!
Oh, I thought Rain was female. Shows what I know. Thanks Marvo. :)
Oh RA, I couldn't possibly have said that, but you may not be far off the mark.
Yes, no steel left so it will have to be imported. Possibly from India, where they're getting grants to produce it.
I have been mistaken for many things - but never a Doris!!!
Keep up the good work Subrosa
Only slightly OT, here's a possible replacement for the totally unsuitable snatch landrovers - far more protection with a V-shaped underside to deflect blasts. I bet we're out of Afghanistan before they buy any though.
http://www.ricardo.com/en-gb/News--Media/Press-releases/News-releases1/2009/Ricardo-and-Force-Protection-Europe-unveil-Ocelot-the-next-generation-in-defence-vehicle-performance-and-crew-protection/
That's a great link Jock, many thanks for it. I'll pass it on to those I know are interested.
The whole FRES programme (of which this is a part) is a complete disaster and has actually been binned and replaced with "Medium Armour Tracks". It was supposed to replace the CVR(T), the very very old FV430 series (which Warrior replaced in the armoured infantry role) and Saxon (mechanised infantry) plus a bunch of specialist vehicles. About 3000 vehicles in all. I think the Saxon replacement has been dropped from the programme (and we will use whatever finally comes out of the Mastiff / Panther deliveries.)
Piranha had already been selected for the "utility vehicle" variant but this has been delayed and the programme simplied from 5 vehicle base types to 3 - Reconnaissance, Medium Armour and Manoeuvre Support. The current discussion is about the Recce variants, replacing Scimitar for the light cavalry regiments.
BAE are definitely not the soldiers' friend. They continually produce late, expensive and sub-standard products (such as the SA-80), which are bought by politicians because there are a few British jobs on the link. They actually have 50%-ish more employees in the States than in the UK. Having said that, both BAe and GD are promising 70%-ish UK manufacture.
Warrior replacement isn't part of FRES - it is part of the "Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme" - although they will use the same 40mm gun as the FRES Scout vehicle.
Evil I can't say how much I appreciate the trouble you've taken to keep me informed. As you will realise equipment isn't my 'thing' but it's most interesting to hear about BAE, because I heard that years ago. Some things never change and lessons never seem to be learned do they.
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