Posted on 01/31/2012 7:01:42 AM PST by blam
The UK Is Sending Its Most Advanced Warship To The Falklands
Adam Taylor
January 31, 2012
The UK announced today that they would be sending their most advanced warship to the South Pacific, near the Falklands Islands.
The announcement seems likely to inflame tensions with Argentina over the disputed Falklands, and may worsen the increasingly aggressive rhetoric from both sides, who went to war over the islands almost 30 years ago.
The Telegraph reports that the HMS Dauntless is a Type 45 destroyer, worth over £1 billion ($1.57 billion), and is "the most advanced anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic ship in the world".
"It can shoot down Argentine fighters as soon as they take off from their bases," a Navy source told the Telegraph. "This will give Buenos Aires serious pause for thought."
The Navy has denied that the deployment was due to the tension in the region, and told the BBC that the ship would replace another already stationed there.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Why does this title always make me think of HMS Hood?
I’m sure they do not want to face HM Marines or Gurkali- speaking knife-wielding infantry again either.
Not asking for a research project but do you know off hand how many (if any) Gurkha Battalions the Brits have?
nail on head pal
for the size of the country and the lack of money getting put in the UK has a great military
Reminds me of the cartoon I saw during the Falklands War of the early '80's. You saw a few Brit soldiers with full camo, guns, etc., and one on the radio saying, "Roger, Invincible, we have captured South Georgia. Natives seem bewildered, over." The natives in question were a bunch of hillbillies and an old hound dog in front of Floyd's General Store. I still have the cartoon somewhere in a box with a bunch of others from that era - it was a real hoot.
I question the idea that we are in front of France. They still actually have an aircraft carrier capable of deploying fixed wing aircraft, and we don’t (we may or may not get this capability back in 2020)...
LOL
The French Navy has always had a front of a few very impressive ships.
But they have always been very weak in AAW.
Back in the 80s the intention was 6 C70 AA Frigates to back the 2 Suffern destroyers - they got 2
In 2000, the Suffrerns were to be replaced by 4 Horizons, while the 2 smaller C70s would get a mid-life refit with Aster30 missiles.
- Horizons cut to 2, no midlife refit for the C70s, whose End of Life has been extended 7 years.
So nominally there are 4 French AAW ships, but until at least 2020 two are small, aging, and armed with the obsolescent Standard SM-1, which they fire from the oldest Mk-13 launchers in the world, built 50 years ago.
6 Attack submarines and 11 destroyers does not amount to much. Your aircraft carrier probably would be at great risk if it approached those islands during wartime.
Well, aside from the United States, what nations have blue water formidable navies? There doesn’t seem to be much else...and to think at one time Canada had the 3d largest navy in the world.
“The Argentine airforce was not there to dogfight Harriers but to sink British ships... which they did.”
They were there to destroy sufficient British ships to stop the islands being retaken. This was impossible without destroying British air cover, thus they failed.
“Not asking for a research project but do you know off hand how many (if any) Gurkha Battalions the Brits have?”
Two infantry battalions, three signal, 1 logistics and two engineer IIRC.
“6 Attack submarines and 11 destroyers does not amount to much. Your aircraft carrier probably would be at great risk if it approached those islands during wartime.”
The Daring class destroyers and Astute class subs are the newest and most advanced in the world. Take a look at the Argentinian military and tell me what they have that could possibly worry even one, let alone several? You think Argentina will risk Astute class subs raining down Tomahawks on their land assets whilst a Vanguard class cruises around with it’s 192 nuclear warheads? And that’s ignoring the permanantly stationed Typhoons based on the islands which could easily be ramped up to 24 aircraft over the course of a weekend.
Of course it’s all irrelevant because the Argentinians have no intention of making this a military conflict and we have no intention of relinquishing sovreignty or the 500m barrels of oil thereunder.
Ok. Thanks! Lets hope Britain doesn’t have to cut any more from their military. Enough already. A year ago they sent a war ship off coast Libya with but two anti-aircraft missiles.
Provided Spy Satellite real time intelligence support and qualified command usage is the key.
The image of that British Frigate induces sea sickness. Such a top heavy ship in the turbulent South Atlantic Ocean will be severely blown and tossed about by wind and wave. That vessel is a harbor queen. Royal Navy Submarines are the tool of choice.
“Ok. Thanks! Lets hope Britain doesnt have to cut any more from their military. Enough already. A year ago they sent a war ship off coast Libya with but two anti-aircraft missiles.”
I completely agree about the defence cuts, but don’t believe everything you read about our armed forces in the MSM - we really don’t like to keep our enemies and the press as well informed about our state of readiness as our American Allies do. :)
“The true strength of Argentine and British resources is held by their allies. The Brits will beg Barrack Insane Obama for beans and bullets. The Argentines will petition the following: Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and the Russians the same.
Provided Spy Satellite real time intelligence support and qualified command usage is the key.
The image of that British Frigate induces sea sickness. Such a top heavy ship in the turbulent South Atlantic Ocean will be severely blown and tossed about by wind and wave. That vessel is a harbor queen. Royal Navy Submarines are the tool of choice.”
You couldn’t be further from the truth. We know we can’t rely on our American allies whilst they continue to elect a president who hates both the US and Britain. Obama is the last person we’ll come to.
Do yourself a favour and google a bit - the type 45’s are extremely seaworthy with a low centre of gravity. If you want top-heavy have a look at the new US Zumwalt class destroyers, though as the inital order of 32 has now been cut down to 3, you might never see one at all.
Delighted to learn of superior seaworthiness of this warship. May it enjoy a fair wind and following sea. May the big eyes in the sky guide it well.
Let me apologize to the British people on behalf of many like-minded Americans; We suffer under a cruel and ruthless dictator and his administration. He has insulted and abandoned you our dear friends. Pray for America as Satan destroys our liberty.
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