Mobile LCU base. An LCU which lays up in an isolated covert position(s) acting as a floating base from which commando operations can be mounted. They often act in conjunction with LCVP's or ORC's and deliver commando's up and down the enemy coast. In doing so they can tie down many thousands of enem...

For what? replay's of D-Day are not a game that we should get into. What of covert mobile LCU bases? you make no allowance for them I can easily see: - 1st wave delivered by forward based T31s (with LCVPs / CB90s) and OTH fast landing craft - 2nd wave via helicopters - 3rd wave delivered by LCUs fro...

No! cut the URNU's, the excessive Health and Safety stupidity that costs a fortune everywhere, default on the payments made on PPS development, enable service personnel to fit lightbulbs instead of contractors (did you know the cost of a single lightbulb fitted by a contractor Debut is some £18 each...

Having a capable Marine Commando capability with specialist equipment and shipping, like the LPD, immediately puts the enemy on the defensive. It forces them to tie down thousands upon thousands of troops and specialist equipment that might otherwise be used in an offensive role against you. The bes...

But the POW is still far too valuable as an asset to risk in the amphibious role, she needs to be way out at sea with distance (and warning time) from shore based threats. The carriers are the make or break of the operation, loose one and it comes close to being "game over" loose two or pu...

Yes, over the horizon is desperately important to the Royal Marines. Most of the troops landed will be by ORC then LCVP, both of which have a good turn of speed. The LCU follow up landing once the undefended beachead is secure. If the LCU escorted by LCVP is acting as a mobile base in a covert locat...

Whilst the LPD can operate just over the horizon it would be prudent to keep the CV's even further away from the enemy coast and that would prohibit or limit their being used for amphibious warfare

As has been said before command and control of the Amphibious Battle Group. The Bays have no capacity, or space for it to be added, for the extensive command facilities on the Albion/Bulwark.

SKB wrote:What can the Albion's do that the Bay's cannot? And vice-versa?

Little more than a self propelled raft to transfer equipment from amphibious ships to the landing platforms. A waste of money, time and effort.

shark bait wrote:A Mobile Landing Platform in the works?

The ability to support ships landing parties ashore whilst keeping out of range from medium size hand held weapons should have been considered. nah. That's not the thinking behind these vessels. They have a constabulary role and aren't really thought of as war fighting vessels. If you're in a fight ...

Poor choice of main gun, the 57mm would have been a better choice than the 40mm.

In addition to the restructuring I described earlier training and use of reserves needs to be addressed. At the moment the Army do a 15 week Common Military Syllabus in phase 1 and the RN and RAF around 10 weeks. For all three services this is a militarisation period yet the course content varies dr...

That is the point, they have done it over and over again. This time it would be fixed and if new requirements come up then new battalions would be raised rather than re role some poor infantryman who's in his fifth or sixth re-role. As for brigade HQ's they need to be stabilised as well and used, no...

I think what the armed forces needs is a period of expansion then stability and consolidation. Make some pretty sweeping decisions, change the force structure to one matching the tasks set before it then settle down to a period of reasonable permanence and concentrate on training. The priorities for...

Your assumption that in a peer conflict there will be any rear areas is exceedingly confident. I've read several accounts and forecasts which see NATO forces reduced to a series of defended pockets whilst numerically superior enemy forces probe for weaknesses. Yes but it doesn't carry an infantry se...

The JTL-V cannot carry an infantry section and as you said it was intended to be deployed in the rear. The Mastiff is a protected mobility vehicle but one able to carry a full infantry section. It is still used by Heavy Protected Battalions as an APC. So if the case for heavy armour has been made an...

Mastiff was certainly deployed in battalions and not as a rear area support vehicle. I don't know if they still are but they were.

HEAVY PROTECTED MOBILITY BATTALION
Totals:
50 x Mastiff
709 All Ranks

I think you misunderstand. My point is that a case has been made for heavy combat vehicles, including Ajax, which would be fine except that heavy protected mobility infantry battalions are seeing their vehicles replaced by something lighter. Heavy Protected Mobility platforms like Mastiff and the up...

If the case for heavy protected reconnaissance has been proven by the Ukraine war then why are the MOD still pushing forward with withdrawing the Heavy Protected Mobility platforms like Mastiff and the upgraded Bulldog FV432? Surely if you need heavy protected recce then you also need heavy protecte...

It may or may not be of interest or part of a wider policy but my sons's Rifle battalion have recently back loaded their sharpshooter rifles and 60mm light mortars. The LSW has been reintroduced as the designated marksmans rifle and no2 rifle in the sniper pairs

What of the Scimitar 2 converted from the Spartan? The fact is that small armoured vehicles might be vulnerable to IED's in a minor war but big ones are vulnerable to tanks, missiles and air threats in a conventional conflict. I have been attached to two armoured recce regiments both with Scimitar (...

I have been attached to two armoured recce regiments both with Scimitar (in my case Samaritan) it was fast, agile and small, you could hide it with reasonable ease. The Ajax is the size of an MBT, a comparative giant, and that makes it about as stealthy as a prowling traffic warden. Why was it allow...

I've worked on a number of joint service procurement projects and have been pretty sickened by what I have experienced. Despite talks of Jointery, my experience is that it's not working and contributes to a delay and increase costs in the project. Worse still there is a trend to develop, redevelop, ...

That submarine was, I believe, the subject of a short report in Warship and International Fleet Review some time ago. It was under extended refit in a commercial yard, work only being carried out when commercial contracts and orders had dried up. The part time nature of the refit was made considerab...

One thing that has occurred to me is that Frigates and Destroyers that are in service are not traditional Escorts. In size and some of their tasks such as defence diplomacy, protection of shipping in international waters, maintaining sovereignty of overseas territories, NGS for ship to shore operati...