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Prepare to Board!
Just another, sad, reminder that Britannia no longer rules the waves. The Royal Navy--which set the sea power standard for centuries--has announced plans that will further reduce its combat power and leave its ships vulnerable in potential engagements with Russian, Chinese and even Iranian vessels.  From the UK Telegraph: Royal Navy warships will be left without anti-ship missiles and be forced to rely on naval guns because of cost-cutting, the Ministry of Defence has admitted. The Navy’s Harpoon missiles will retire from the fleet’s frigates and destroyers in 2018 without a replacement, while there will also be a two year gap without helicopter-launched anti-shipping missiles. Harpoon missiles are unlikely to be replaced for up to a decade, naval sources said, leaving warships armed only with their 4.5in Mk 8 guns for anti-ship warfare. Helicopter-launched Sea Skua missiles are also going out of service next year and the replacement Sea Venom missile to be carried by Wildcat helicopters will not arrive until late 2020. ... In the interim, the RN may have to dust off employment manuals from the eras of Lord Nelson and Admiral Jellicoe. As we noted on Twitter (@NateHale) a short time ago, Royal Navy surface engagement tactics from 2018 on may look something like this: 1. Form battle line. 2. Engage with main guns 3. Lure enemy into CIWS range 4. Distribute cutlasses, small arms and prepare to board! And the USN doesn't have much room to brag. As our favorite naval blogger, Cdr Salamander, recently observed, the number of our own surface vessels that can no longer fire a Harpoon is both surprising and alarming. Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 2016-11-16 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=473271 |