Second UK F-35 And Marine Corps F-35B Delivered To Eglin

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The second United Kingdom Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II takes off from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base Friday for delivery to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Eglin's eleventh U.S. Marine Corps F-35B ferried to the Emerald Coast with the U.K. jet.
The aircraft, known as ZM136 and BF-16, departed at approximately 8:06 a.m. CDT with U.K. Royal Air Force Sqn. Ldr. Jim Schofield and Marine Corps Maj. Adam Levine at the controls, respectively, for the 90-minute ferry flight to Eglin.

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Vulcan bomber to make final flight in 2013

The last airworthy Vulcan bomber is set to make its final flight in 2013 as a result of the excessive technical and financial demands involved in keeping it operational, it has been announced.

Vulcan XH558, operated by the Vulcan to the Sky trust, has flown at more than 60 outdoor events, including the Queen's jubilee celebrations, and has been seen in flight by an estimated 10 million people since its refurbishment in 2007.

By the end of the 2013 display season, XH558's post-restoration flying life will be almost at an end, Trust chief executive Dr Robert Pleming said.

"We are sure you are aware that all Vulcans have a finite safe flying life and that XH558 is already well beyond the hours flown by any other aircraft of her type," he wrote on the trust's website.


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HMS Conqueror’s biggest secret: a raid on Russia

It was dark, in the early hours, and the sea was freezing as Her Majesty’s Submarine Conqueror came to periscope depth. Her captain, Christopher Wreford-Brown, had been stalking his target methodically, a hunter in pursuit of wary prey. There she was, 1,000 yards ahead, slow-moving, seemingly unaware of the submarine coming up on her tail. Gathered around Commander Wreford-Brown in the darkened operations room, officers and men waited in silence, inner tension masked by outward calm. It was 1982 and this was the real thing.

HMS Conqueror is famous, some would say notorious, for sinking the Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano. The nuclear-powered attack submarine, a type also known menacingly as a hunter-killer, that year became the first of her kind to fire in anger. The Belgrano was sent to bottom in short order, her ancient hull rent by two torpedoes: 323 men, many of them young conscripts, died. The Falklands war began in earnest that day, May 2 1982.

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Britain's Prince Harry fighting in Afghanistan had fire on Taliban

Britain's Prince Harry

Sahit Muja: New reports today show Britain's Prince Harry is "fighting in Afghanistan against Taliban and has had "multiple engagements" with the Taliban during his time in the war zone, according to a new report in the UK's The Sun.

Britain's Prince Harry, 28, is on NATO tour of duty as a chopper pilot in Afghanistan.
Britain's Prince Harry is part of a four-man team on standby 24 hours a day to take to the air and either destroy the enemy or provide cover for other aircraft, including the workhorse Chinook or American Pedro rescue chopper.

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Camp Bastion defenders discuss repelling insurgent attack

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (Sept. 24, 2012) — Sergeant Rasheem Thomas never thought his first night working on Camp Bastion would turn into a gun battle with 15 insurgents.

When Thomas was told he was transferring from 1st Platoon to 2nd Platoon, the landing support specialist with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, thought nothing of it. Instead of working on Camp Leatherneck, Thomas would be working at the rotary wing Arrival Departure Airfield Control Group on Camp Bastion, an adjoining base ran by British Armed Forces. He would be responsible for getting coalition forces and cargo on helicopters departing Camp Bastion’s airfield heading for remote forward operating bases throughout Regional Command Southwest’s area of operations.

Thomas’ first night on Camp Bastion was Friday, Sept. 14. He and a fellow sergeant were driving through a checkpoint close to the airfield when they heard an explosion.

“At first we didn’t know if the explosion was on base or off,” said Thomas, from Manhattan, N.Y. “We decided to go check on our Marines at the cargo lot and we saw an explosion by the (cryogenics) area. That’s when we knew the base was under attack.”


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New year lay-offs: Army to fire 8,000 soldiers in 'fast-track' redundancies and sackings of over-45s

Facing redundancy: Every regiment in the army will be hit by the cuts that will see 8,000 soldiers lose their jobs

Eight thousand British soldiers – many serving on the front line in Afghanistan – will be told days after Christmas that they are to lose their jobs.
Redundancy notices will be sent to servicemen and women telling them their careers are over as part of sudden speeded-up cutbacks by the Ministry of Defence.
The Army has already been shaken by the announcement of a swathe of cuts, which included the loss of historic regiments and the prospect of a gradual reduction in personnel over the next eight years.
But now The Mail on Sunday has discovered that the MoD will make a single devastating cut of 8,000 servicemen and women, reducing the Army to 86,000 – its smallest size since the 1700s. A further 4,000 soldiers will go before 2020.
The axe will fall across every branch and regiment of the Regular Army, with only Special Forces ringfenced. Thousands of soldiers will disappear from regiments such as the Royal Welsh, the Royal Fusiliers, the Royal Engineers, the Royal Lancers and the Army Air Corps, which includes Prince Harry among its officers.
The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is expected to lose 600 of its most skilled personnel, while the Royal Logistics Corps will also be badly hit.
Last night serving officers, military experts and MPs condemned the drastic measure as a stab in the back for soldiers and a blow to the Army’s capability.
Former commander Tim Collins, who led the Royal Irish Regiment into Iraq in 2003, said: ‘This is meltdown. We’re still fighting in Afghanistan, the world is changing  rapidly and looks increasingly dangerous yet the Government is crippling our operational capability.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210548/New-year-lay-offs-Army-8-000-soldiers-fast-track-redundancies-sackings-45s.html#ixzz28441ybdh
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National defence cuts could tally $2.5B

Last Updated: Oct 1, 2012 7:07 AM ET

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Defence Minister Peter MacKay announces the new Canadian Forces Leopard 2A4 tank at CFB Gagetown in Oromocto, N.B., on Thursday, September 13. (David Smith/Canadian Press)

An independent analysis has concluded the waves of federal budget cuts washing over National Defence will run deeper and likely be more painful than advertised by the Harper government.
While it won't exactly be a return to the "decade of darkness" the Conservatives attribute to the Liberal years, the reductions will be significant and are expected to cut into the military's "readiness" — or ability to respond quickly to a crisis.
The days of soldiers rationing their training ammunition, fuel and money used to make equipment operationally ready may be about to return, the report warned.
The research paper, written for the Centre for Security and Defence Studies at Carleton University, estimates the cumulative effect of the Harper government's strategic review and the overlapping deficit reduction action plan will carve up to $2.5 billion out of the nearly $21 billion National Defence budget by 2014-15.

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Britain's military drones spending tops £2bn

An UAV is loaded at Westdown Camp, Wiltshire: the study claims the use of drones raises moral and ethical questions. Photograph: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images

The UK has spent more than £2bn on buying and developing military drones over the past five years and is poised to commit an extra £2bn for another new unmanned aircraft, according to a report.
The figures show how the Ministry of Defence has poured money into buying and researching a variety of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) as armed forces chiefs recognise their potential value in modern warfare.
However, the study by the campaign group Drone Wars UK warns that the extensive use of UAVs by the military and their likely employment in the civilian sphere raise moral and ethical questions that should be properly scrutinised and debated.

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Trident submarine missiles review to suggest 'stepping down nuclear ladder'

HMS Astute, first of the class of nuclear hunter killer submarine built at Barrow in Furness, which could carry a cheaper alternative to Trident. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

The government's review of the future of the Trident submarine nuclear missile system is likely to suggest a significant downgrading of the UK's nuclear deterrent, including the possibility of locking the warheads "in a cupboard" for delayed launch only after several weeks of mounting international tension.
The revelation was made by Sir Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat who was the defence minister leading the review until the government reshuffle this month. The MP for North Devon said he believed the policy could get support in Whitehall and from senior military figures and Labour.
Harvey said past policy on Trident had been dictated by the 1980s view that the only deterrent to a nuclear attack from the then Soviet Union was the belief that the UK could "flatten Moscow" in retaliation. This led to the UK building Trident and having at least one armed submarine at sea every hour of every day since.

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Raw Video: Insurgents Prepare for Base Attack

Published on Sep 24, 2012 by AssociatedPress

The Taliban published a video which purportedly shows insurgents preparing for the brazen attack on Camp Bastion, a major NATO base, on September 14th. The AP can not independently verify the content. (Sept. 24)

GE Delivers Last of Eight Propulsion Motors for Giant UK Aircraft Carriers

RUGBY, ENGLAND—September 20, 2012—GE Energy Management’s Power Conversion business (NYSE: GE) has delivered the last of eight propulsion motors for two aircraft carriers under construction for the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. The two vessels, the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, each with a length of 280 meters and a displacement of 65,000 tons, will be the largest warships in the world to use fully electric propulsion systems.

In 2008, the company won a contract to deliver the major elements of the Integrated Full Electric Propulsion (IFEP) systems for the new Queen Elizabeth class (QEC) carriers. The IFEP comprises all shipboard electrical power generation and propulsion systems and features GE’s Advanced Induction Motor (AIM) technology, which delivers increased fuel efficiency plus high levels of survivability.

“Building the two QEC carriers is the largest engineering project in the U.K., behind only the Olympics,” said Jim Bennett, power & propulsion director of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, which is building the ships. “The project team has pulled together to meet critical milestones. The on-time delivery of the 110-ton GE Advanced Induction Motors is a key element in the success of this massive undertaking.”

Fuel saving is a major driver for the IFEP design. According to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence, the 65,000-ton QE class warships, with their advanced propulsion system, are expected to consume no more fuel during typical routine operations than the much smaller (22,000 ton) predecessor CVS class carriers. Over their lifetime of 25 years or longer, the two QEC carriers will achieve significant economic, environmental and operational benefits including greatly improved autonomous operation.

In addition to meeting the ever-growing electrical needs of combat ships, the all-electrical power and propulsion approach improves ship survivability by decoupling the placement of the turbines and the generators from the propellers’ mechanical drive. Power generation and propulsion equipment is instead distributed across several independent compartments rather than concentrated into a single space or small number of spaces.

“The QEC’s propulsion system is consistent with a growing trend among the world’s leading navies to use GE’s electric propulsion technology,” said Paul English, marine vertical leader for GE Energy Management’s Power Conversion business. “They include the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers, the U.S. Navy’s LDH8 and Zumwalt destroyers and the French Navy’s Mistral class, among others.”

The new QEC carriers will be the Royal Navy’s largest warships and the second largest aircraft carriers in the world, behind the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz class carriers, and are the world’s first fully electrically propelled aircraft carriers.

The IFEP power and propulsion system for the QEC carriers is being designed and built under a Power and Propulsion sub-alliance that enables leading companies in their specific fields to provide the most cost-effective mechanism for system delivery. This innovative approach brings together expertise from Thales UK, GE Energy Management’s Power Conversion business, Rolls-Royce and L-3 Communications.

The aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a unique partnering relationship between BAE Systems, Thales UK, Babcock and the U.K. Ministry of Defence.

Source : BAEsystems

SAS Hid Prince Harry During Taliban Attack

SAS hid Prince Harry in safe room during deadly Taliban attack 

 

Prince Harry escaped the attack unscathed

PRINCE Harry was whisked to safety by SAS bodyguards as the Taliban launched their deadly attack on Camp Bastion.
He grabbed a pistol and was ready to fight but was taken to a fortified safe room on the base during the three-hour suicide bombing mission.
The SAS guarded the prince through the night, primed to take on the Taliban fighters who have vowed to kill him.
An insider at the huge base in Helmand said: “There was no messing about. Harry was taken straight to the safe place as soon as the alarm went off.
“He was prepared for the fight but had to follow the plan. If anything happened to him, it would have been disastrous.
“The whole camp was locked down. All troops including Harry had to stay in their ­accommodation wearing full body armour and were armed.”

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6 British And US Troops Killed In Afghanistan

Six British and US troops killed in latest 'green on blue' attacks 

 

Private Thomas Wroe, 18, left, and Sergeant Gareth Thursby, 29, were shot and fatally wounded by a rogue Afghan Local Policeman in Check Point Tora in the Nahr-e-Saraj District of Helmand Province Photo: MoD

 

 

The incidents come just two days after an attack on Camp Bastion, which the Taliban claimed was in retaliation for a US-made film which insulted the prophet Mohammed.

The soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment were shot dead by an Afghan policeman at a checkpoint in Helmand province, moments after they had given him medical treatment following a joint patrol.

They were named as Sergeant Gareth Thursby, 29, a married father-of-two from Skipton, North Yorkshire, and Private Thomas Wroe, 18, from Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.

An Afghan security official in Helmand told the Daily Telegraph the killer, Gul Agha, had called over the British soldiers at a checkpoint at around 2pm on Saturday and said his leg needed treatment. 

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Six Harrier Jets Destroyed In Camp Bastion Night Raid By Taliban

Taliban fighters wore US Army uniforms in attack on Prince Harry's base

 

Prince Harry is an Apache pilot based at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan Photo: John Stillwell/PA

 

 

The night time raid at Camp Bastion caused damage estimated to run to hundreds of millions of dollars, destroyed six American Harrier jets and badly damaged another two.

Details of the assault emerged as six Nato troops, including two British soldiers, were killed in two separate attacks by their Afghan allies in the latest “green on blue” attacks to strike the coalition.

A statement from the insurgents said the attack late on Friday evening on the sprawling Helmand base was in retaliation for an American-made film which insults the prophet Mohammed. Bastion had been chosen because of Prince Harry’s presence, they added. 

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Taliban's Mission Harry

Camp Bastion assault: Two US marines die in 'Taliban revenge'

 

Nato says Prince Harry was never in any danger despite the attack on Camp Bastion

Insurgents have attacked Nato's heavily fortified Camp Bastion base in southern Afghanistan, officials say.

At least two US marines died when militants breached the perimeter of the sprawling base in Helmand province.
The Taliban told the BBC that they carried out the attack in revenge for a film mocking Islam which has triggered protests around the Muslim world.
In a separate development, two British soldiers were shot dead in Helmand by a man wearing an Afghan police uniform.

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Inside Royal Hunter - HMS Ambush

Inside the Navy's new £1billion supersub: Deadly Hunter Killer submarine is capable of hearing a ship leaving port in New York... while sat underwater in the English channel

 

Awesome: HMS Ambush, which was built by BAE Systems, is believed to be the world's most powerful nuclear attack submarine. Her huge weapons payload includes super-accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes for fighting other vessels

She cost around £1billion to build, has sonar so sensitive it can hear other vessels 3,000 miles away and carries a giant payload of 38 deadly Tomahawk cruise missiles.
HMS Ambush, the Royal Navy's newest nuclear attack submarine, is one of the most sophisticated and powerful vessels of her type ever built.
The giant Astute-class sub, which was launched today, is so hi-tech she doesn't even need a periscope.

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Road Side Bomb Killed British Soldier

British soldier killed in Afghanistan

 

A Light Dragoons patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Photograph: Sean Clee/PA

A British soldier has been killed after a patrol vehicle struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.
The soldier from the Light Dragoons cavalry regiment died on Saturday during an operation in the Nahri Saraj district of Helmand province.

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Prince Harry With Apatche

Inside the Prince's killing machine: Prince Harry returns to Afghanistan to fly Apache helicopters in fight against Taliban

Prince Harry has returned to Afghanistan to fly Army attack helicopters in the battle against the Taliban.
The 27-year-old arrived on the front line under cover of darkness yesterday to join the Apache unit which has the highest ‘kill rate’ in the war.
Captain Harry Wales – as he is known in the Army – will be a co-pilot gunner during his four-month deployment, meaning he will fire the aircraft’s weapons.
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But the prince’s presence in Helmand will mean that the Taliban will likely step up their efforts to kill or injure him to land a huge propaganda coup.
Harry’s arrival at Camp Bastion, where he will serve with 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps comes four weeks after a storm over his antics in Las Vegas.

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British Reserve Problem

Relying on reservists will hobble the UK Military

 

The premise of the cuts to UK defence spending is that the reduction in troop numbers from 102,000 to 82,000 will be mitigated by better integration of reserve soldiers and increased use of contractors. Secretary of Defence Philip Hammond recently claimed that "the reserve will be a vital, integrated component of the army". Yet, the experience of Britain’s closest allies has shown that this vision is deeply problematic and has the potential to create a much more dysfunctional armed forces for the UK.

Along with other Nato member states, Her Majesty’s Armed Forces use contractors to compensate for declining in-house expertise, resources and manpower. Indeed, according to the European Defence Agency, the UK spends more on external contractors than any other EU member. The US military’s experience with these very same contractors is cause for concern.

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Type 45 Destroyer

Type 45 Destroyer Duncan Departs on Maiden Sea Trials

17:48 GMT, September 2, 2012 Glasgow, United Kingdom | DUNCAN, the sixth and final Type 45 destroyer built by BAE Systems, has today set sail from the company’s Scotstoun shipyard to embark on her first stage of sea trials off the west coast of Scotland.

During three weeks at sea, DUNCAN will undertake an extensive programme of trials that will include testing of her power and propulsion systems, auxiliary and domestic services.

Paul Rafferty, Type 45 Programme Director at BAE Systems, said: “This is the sixth Type 45 destroyer to embark on sea trials, but there will be no complacency in the rigour with which we will put her through her paces and prove her outstanding capabilities. Every stage in the delivery of the Type 45 destroyers brings an enormous amount of pride to those who have worked on the programme and there’s a special significance attached now that all six ships have sailed the seas.” 

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