Posted on 02/01/2006 5:21:30 PM PST by Cornpone
The most powerful frontline warship since the Second World War was launched by the Countess of Wessex yesterday, marking a resurgence of British naval ship building.
The first of Britain's new Type 45 destroyers took to the waters of the Clyde as the world's most advanced air defence ship.
Daring will be able to track and destroy a target the size of a cricket ball travelling at more than three times the speed of sound, a "quantum leap forward in the Navy's capabilities", according the Royal Navy.
The boat's defensive system, combining a hugely powerful radar and missile system, has left American visitors to the yard "shaken and shocked", according to BAE Systems, its builders.
The destroyer's launch was watched by a crowd of 11,000 and hundreds of Daring's Glaswegian shipbuilders.
In the next 10 years, as many as eight T45s could be built at a cost of £650 million each. Also to be commissioned are two large aircraft carriers (£3.5 billion), four Astute class hunter killer submarines (£3 billion) and a fleet of up to 14 auxiliary ships (£3.5 billion).
Daring will be fitted with its radar and missile systems before its sea trials in early 2007. Its Samson radar, from its current location in Portsmouth, can monitor all take offs and landings from every major European airport.
The Israeli army is protecting Britain?
I welcome our allies the Brits back to the water they never should have left.
LOL!
A sailor's life ashore is wine, women, and song. Once at sea, it's rum, bum, and concertina.
If it runs on oil, it is a waste of money unless England has some oil wells.
A sailor's life ashore is wine, women, and song. Once at sea, it's rum, bum, and concertina.
"A new anti-ballistic missile system is being installed on 18 US Navy ships."
does it work?
Also better than being dazed and confused.
BAE does good work. I'm sure there is some exaggeration in this article, but congratulations to the Royal Navy for acquiring a fine ship. If it's as good as claimed, we may ask you to lend a few now and then to escort high value targets, i.e. nuclear powered carriers.
1] BAE Systems is a major player in the development of the Aegis Weapons System.
2] The Type 45 destroyer will have less of a multi-role capability than the USA's Aegis based Arleigh Burke Class destroyers and Australia's SEA 4000 Air Warfare Destroyer.
3] BAE Systems is an excellent company with a very large USA and International presence.
4] BAE Systems recently acquired United Defense Industries, including UDI's huge ship servicing, ship maintenance businesses.
*golf clap*
There are but two kinds of naval vessels: submarines and targets...
Anyways, when they talk about that size and that speed it is hinting at the ability to stop even the next generation of ASMs, whcih will have a level of stealth built into them and will have high terminal speeds. Take the Indian-Russian Brahmos ....a very highspeed (supersonic flight and attack) cruise missile that has stealth characteristics built into it. This means that it is only a matter of time before a country like China starts possessing similar weapons. China already has the Moskit missile, and will probably be trying to arrive at (one way or another) more advanced anti-ship solutions in the future.
The PAAMS solution will give the Brits (as well as the French, who will have the same system on different ships) a capability to deal with such an event. They could get our latest AEGIS radars, but I guess they are going with PAAMS to boost local industry.
Oh, the PAAMS can identify certain stealthy aircraft as well.
Agreed. Very survivable platforms and big enough to carry just about every weapon system we have.
Take the four of them out of mothballs, put in nuclear power plants, equip with Aegis (or most modern equivqlent). replace one turret with missle launchers, order brand new ammo for the main batteries and line the sides with phalanx guns.
Wish we had the money.
2111, nice, you got to play with all the cool toys.
Isn't this thing what some of you sub guys call a "target"? What do you want to bet that a bunch of rags in a motorized rubber boat full of explosives are the first to sink one?
Actually, from what I read a couple of years ago, these are designed for exactly that, and are an offshoot from the Brit experience in the Falklands....
They are sacrificing Multi-role and ASW capabilities for a strictly Anti-Air/Missle platform....
ping
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