Posted on 05/24/2009 9:10:22 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Super-destroyer to guard 2012 Games
The navy is set to deploy its most advanced weapons against any 9/11-style attack
David Leppard
THE Royal Navy is on standby to deploy the worlds most advanced destroyer to protect the 2012 Olympics from a 9/11-style attack.
Security chiefs are drawing up plans to moor one of the navys new Daring class of Type 45 destroyers in the Thames estuary. The ship, which boasts a sophisticated antiair missile system, would be ready to shoot down hijacked aircraft or small passenger jets flown towards London or the Olympic site by terrorists.
Three Type 45 destroyers Dauntless, Daring and Diamond - have been built at an estimated cost of £1 billion each. They are being fitted out and should be ready for service by 2011.
Their main armament is the Principal AntiAir Missile System, regarded as the most sophisticated of its kind. According to the navy, it is designed to defend against supersonic, stealthy, highly manoeuvrable missiles that could use sea-skimming or steep-diving flight profiles approaching in salvos, simultaneously from several directions.
Its 45 super-agile Aster missiles are said by its supporters to be able to track and destroy a moving target the size of a cricket ball at 19 miles.
Lord Carlile, the governments antiterrorism expert, welcomed the involvement of the Royal Navy. [It] is very well equipped to deal with specific threats, such as that posed by terrorists using light aircraft, he said. Having a frigate in the Thames is an extremely good idea.
However, Patrick Mercer, chairman of the Commons counterterrorism committee, said such defences should already be in place. Given our vulnerability to this kind of attack, it is very worrying that we dont have this kind of air defence capability at the moment, he said.
T
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
HMS Daring
Let the terrorists hijack another airliner and aim it right for the frigate.
Like the Brits are going to shoot down an airliner over London and have all that collateral damage.
Cheers!
Only one VLS, and one gun.
I’d like to know more, but there seems to be a lack of redundant critical systems.
Not too shabby though, and since Obamas going to cut our military back to the stone age, it’s a relief to know the Brits are still building warships.
"The Type 45 project has been criticised for rising costs and delays, with the ships costing £6.46 billion, compared with an original estimate of £5.47 billion. The first ship is scheduled to enter service in 2010,[24] rather than 2007 as initially planned. In 2007 the Defence Select Committee expressed its disappointment that the MoD and BAE had failed to control rising costs.[25][26]
"Although the Type 45 represents a significant improvement to air defences, her anti-ship capability is limited to the single medium calibre gun and helicopter-borne Sea Skua missiles.[27]
"The continual scaling back of the project, first from 12 to 8 and subsequently from 8 to 6 units, has also been criticised for allegedly leaving the Royal Navy with insufficient ships to meet its requirements.[28]"
What are they gonna do, park it on the motorway between London and Bradford ?
WOW! Are those TEAK decks?
Would be ready to shoot down hijacked, passenger-filled aircraft? That’d be a hard call, hayna?
She looks to be a fine ship. Bless the crew who sail upon her.
I can’t imagine what Raleigh, Drake and Nelson would say if they saw this ship.
At first sight, they’d probably react with horror.
But upon learning what the ship’s capabilities are, I bet they’d come around.
Kool ship. In the hands of the old Royal Navy, it would have been a menace. Today, it would stand watching by as Iranians in a motorboat capture their boarding party.
Not to mention, Objectively the Prinze Eugene and Bismark would still kick its ass. One teeny gun, and a helo that fires Sea Skua missiles. Those 50 pound warheads would barely have scorched the paint.
And a Daring class 45 can’t outrun the Bismark either! creepy. And yes, i know its anti-air, not anti-ship. Im just having fun in fantasyland today, and giving a tilt of the hat to the old battlewagons that were more terrorizing than is often remembered.
And for extra fun, Bismark would have have been terrorized by the Iowa class BB. Bigger, Faster, with more and bigger guns.
Todays ships really are weak sisters. It makes sense since air power trumps surface warfare, but still, just for fun.
This makes zero sense to me. Without knowing a lot about that ships sensors I would say that usually shipboard radars don’t work extremely well inshore with terrain masking and ground clutter.
I suppose it will work well enough tracking cooperative targets flying at a reasonable altitude. Would they actually fire at a Piper cub sized aircraft?
Ground based AAW systems or even Stinger teams on tall buildings in the vicinity seem like it would be a more reasonable alternative.
I think budget more than security is the goal here.
“WOW! Are those TEAK decks?”
I wouldn’t think so. I would imagine they are non-skid covered steel.
How will they get it in the stadium?
I don’t quite understand their design philosophy. There seem to be lots of right angles for a stealthy ship design.
A 4.5 inch main gun, 2 30 mm, 48 anti-aircraft missiles. Looks like a single purpose air defense destroyer, rather than a multi-purpose.
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