UK interested in Japan's P-1 As Submarine Hunter

The British have shown interest in the P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft in a potential $1 billion deal to replace the Nimrod as Britain’s submarine hunter.
Britain signaled their interest after Japanese Prime Minister decided to reverse previous self-imposed Japanese defense export restrictions and allowed domestic manufacturers like Kawasaki to find foreign partners.
Kawasaki developed the P-1 as a replacement for the P-3C for the Japanese Self Defense Force.
Since then, the P-1 has developed into a competitor for Boeing’s P-8 maritime patrol aircraft.
dodbuzz

Boeing Targets Boeing P-8 Against Airbus C-295 for U.K. Sub-Hunter Plane

Boeing is pitching its P-8 maritime-patrol aircraft to the U.K. as Airbus promotes an offshoot of its C-295 turbo-propeller transport plane to meet a British aerial submarine-hunting requirement.
"Looking at the strategic needs of the U.K., the P-8 is a natural fit", said director of business development for the Boeing planeThe U.S. and India are already customers for the maritime surveillance version.
The U.K. has a gap in airborne submarine hunting. It canceled the Nimrod MRA4 program in its 2010 defense review after years of delay and cost overruns. The defense ministry has been assessing alternatives in recent months to address capability shortfalls.
The U.K. has dispatched staff to work with other militaries and help preserve maritime patrol skills under an effort called Project Seedcorn. Some of those personnel are serving as instructors with the U.S. Navy on the P-8.
A British program would probably encompass 8 to 12 aircraft, although the final number would depend on the exact requirement. The P-8 used by the U.S. could be adapted to address unique U.K. needs, as was the case with the Indian aircraft.
Airbus would build its proposal around the C-295 military airlifter in a configuration similar to one already in service with the Chilean military.
The big factor favoring the C-295 is its affordability,with a lower purchase and operations cost. The system would include about six workstations. Introducing the aircraft could happen relatively quickly once a decision to purchase is taken.
Lockheed Martin is another likely contestant. The company has said previously it would promote a maritime patrol system based on its C-130 transport plane. Raytheon Co. (RTN), developer of the British Sentinel R1 ground surveillance plane, also is tracking the maritime patrol program.
The company could upgrade the Sentinel to take on some of the surveillance roles.
The U.K. is still studying how to retain the five Sentinel aircraft in its fleet after it they were earmarked for retirement mid-decade in the last defense review.
bloomberg

MPs concerned over Nimrod decision

MPs have voiced "serious concern" about the risk to national security caused by the Government's decision to scrap the next generation of Nimrod maritime surveillance aircraft.
The Nimrod MRA4 was cancelled in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review as ministers attempted to fill a £38 billion black hole in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget. The project, designed to replace the Nimrod MR2, was already years late and hundreds of millions of pounds over budget.


learn more

Últimos días de los Nimrod en la RAF/ Nimrod ready to bow out

Los dos últimos Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R1 en servicio con la RAF, lo hacen en la base de RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, en el 51 Squadron. El escuadrón retirará ambos aviones el 31 de marzo, y el avión matrícula XV249, ha sido pintado con un esquema especial, para celebrar los 37 años de operaciones con la unidad.
Un Nimrod está desplegado en Afganistán, como parte de la Operación Herrick, pero será retirado en las próximas semanas. El personal del 51 Squadron está empezando su entrenamiento en el RC-135W Rivet Joint, en Estados Unidos, a la espera de recibirlos en 2014.
key.aero
_____________________________________
The last two airworthy Hawker Siddeley Nimrods are based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, where 51 Squadron operates the R1 version. The squadron will retire both aircraft on March 31 and in preparation one aircraft, XV249, has been painted in a special scheme commemorating the 37 years that the unit has operated the type.
One aircraft is currently based in Afghanistan for Operation Herrick, but will be withdrawn in the coming weeks. Personnel from 51 Squadron are beginning training in the US for RC-135W Rivet Joint operations, the first aircraft expected at RAF Waddington in 2014. Until then 51 Squadron will operate with the US Air Force’s 55th Wing based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and RAF Mildenhall in the UK.
key.aero

Cancelar el Nimrod costará 200 millones de libras adicionales/ MoD to spend further £200m on axed Nimrod project

El Ministerio de Defensa Británico ha anunciado que invertirá 200 millones de libras en la cancelación de la modernización de nueve Nimrod, que en la versión Nimrod MRA4 de vigilancia y reconocimiento, iba a ser construida por BAE Systems, y que fue cancelada el pasado Octubre de 2010.
(leer más)
____________________________________
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to spend £200m on closing down the axed project to build nine new Nimrod spy planes, it has emerged.
The Nimrod MRA4 surveillance and reconnaissance planes were being built at BAE Systems sites in Stockport, Lancashire and East Yorkshire.
The project was ditched by the government in October's Defence
(read more)

Nimrod MRA4: El montón de chatarra mas caro del mundo/ £3.6 billion Nimrods dismantled for scrap

Nueve modernos aviones Nimrod MRA4 de vigilancia, con un coste de 3.600 millones de libras, serán desmontados y desguazados sin haber volado ni una sola vez, debido a los recortes anunciados por el gobierno de David Cameron, lo que los convierte en "el montón de chatarra mas caro del mundo".
BAE Systems ha anunciado la pérdida de miles de empleos.
(leer más)
___________________________________
Nine brand new Nimrod surveillance aircraft, which cost taxpayers £3.6 billion, will be dismantled and scrapped without ever having flown.
The MRA4 planes, only one of which has ever left the ground, will be stripped of their equipment and abandoned following Coalition defence cuts.
The decision led to the Nimrods being branded “the world's most expensive pile of scrap metal".
Hundreds of jobs could also be lost, according to BAE Systems, which built the Nimrods.
The Strategic Defence and Security Review in October terminated the £3.6 billion order for new Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft.
(read more)

El actor Ewan Mc Gregor en contra del cierre de base aérea/ Ewan McGregor backs threatened RAF base

Mientras en España los actores se manifiestan contra la guerra (cuando les conviene y en contra quién les conviene), el actor británico y estrella de Hollywood Ewan McGregor, protagonista de películas tan poco significativas como "Trainspotting" o la nueva saga de "La Guerra de las Galaxias", ha mostrado su decepción por el futuro cierre de la emblemática base de la RAF en Lossiemouth, que parece seguro debido a la retirada de los aviones de patrulla marítima Nimrod.
El actor apoya una campaña en contra del cierre de la misma. No se preveen comportamientos similares en este sentido protagonizados por actores/as españoles/as.
(read more)
_____________________________________
Hollywood star Ewan McGregor has given his support to the campaign to save a closure-threatened Royal Air Force base.
The Trainspotting and Star Wars actor said he had been "shocked" to learn that RAF Lossiemouth in Moray could be axed.
The fate of the nearby RAF Kinloss base was effectively sealed last month when Prime Minister David Cameron announced the cancellation of the replacement Nimrod fleet.
(read more)

La RAF paraliza los vuelos del Nimrod por problemas de seguridad/RAF grounds new Nimrods as safety fears hit £3.6bn project

Los vuelos de la nueva versión del Nimrod de reconocimiento para la RAF han sido cesados debido a graves problemas técnicos, en el recuerdo del accidente de un Nimrod en Afganistán, y que costó la vida a 14 personas. El programa podría llegar a a ser cancelado por esta razón.
La RAF, el Ministerio de Defensa y BAE Systems fueron sancionados y acusados de no invertir lo suficiente en seguridad.
Se supone que el Nimrod MRA4 es un salto tecnológico, pero el programa se encuentra con problemas técnicos constantemente.
Un Nimrod ya ha sido entregado a la RAF, los otros ocho están en la factoría de BAE Systems.
Si el programa se cancela, Reino Unido dejará de disponer de aviones con capacidad de detectar submarinos.
(leer más)
________________________________________________
The RAFs new Nimrod reconnaissance planes have been grounded over safety worries, leading to fears that the £3.6 billion project might be shelved.
It comes against a background of accidents that led to the loss of 14 servicemen in a mid-air explosion over Afghanistan in 2006 when fuel from the tanks of a Nimrod MR2 leaked into hot air ducts.
The RAF, Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems were castigated in last year’s Haddon-Cave report into the crash, which accused them of putting budget targets ahead of safety.
It came after the entire Nimrod MR2 fleet was grounded by the MoD following further safety fears.
Although the new Nimrod MRA4 is supposed to be a step-change in technology it has stopped flying for the last four weeks after MoD inspectors detected a problem.
One Nimrod had already been handed over to the RAF but the other eight remain with the manufacturers, BAE Systems, until the problem is rectified.
RAF chiefs are now worried that the problem might be used to cancel the programme in the defence review because it was “tarnished” by the image of the earlier Nimrod.
If the project is cancelled it will also have implications for Britain’s nuclear deterrent as the Nimrod has systems that can detect submarines.
The Daily Telegraph reported in August that a Russian hunter-killer submarine had tailed the Trident boats from their Faslane base shortly after the previous Government retired the Nimrod MR2’s earlier this year.
(read more)

Ultimo despliegue del Nimrod en Afganistán/Last Nimrod MR1 Deployment to Afganistán

La RAF enviará el Nimrod R1 en misión de inteligencia a finales de año y por última vez, antes de su retirada en 2011.

______________________________________________
The RAF will send its last Nimrod R1 signals intelligence aircraft to Afghanistan later this year.
This will be the type’s last operational deployment before its retirement in 2011.

LA RAF acepta primer Nimrod MRA4/RAF Accepts 1st Nimrod MRA4

El primer Nimrod MRA4 de vigilancia marítima para la RAF ha sido aceptado. Este es el primero de nueve pedidos para cumplir con misiones de vigilancia marítima, inteligencia, adquisición de blancos y reconocimiento. Las primera entrega debía haberse producido anteriormente, pero se ha retrasado debido a restricciones presupuestarias. Estas restricciones han producido la retirada dentro de marzo de 2010, de los Nimrod MR2 de vigilancia marítima existentes, un año antes de lo previsto. Este hecho deja al Reino Unido sin capacidad creíble de vigilancia marítima por al menos dos años. Este vacío está previsto cubrirse con helicópteros y los Hercules C-130. El primer MRA4 operará desde Kinloss, Escocia a finales del verano de 2010. El total de nueve tiene que estar entregado en 2012. Los aviones proceden de células de MR2, con nuevos motores y sistemas de misión.
__________________________________________________________________________________

The first BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 maritime surveillance aircraft destined for the Royal Air Force has been formally accepted. The aircraft is the first of nine MRA4s ordered to fulfill maritime and wider intelligence surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance roles for the air force here. Handover of the first production aircraft may have taken place but it will be 2012 before the machine is introduced into service following a decision by the government late last year to delay its operational debut in order to help cut Britain's defense equipment overspend.
The decision also involved taking the current Nimrod MR2 surveillance aircraft out of service at the end of this month, 12 months earlier than planned. The move leaves Britain with no credible long-range maritime surveillance capability for about two years.The MR2's exit from service was hurried by a 2006 crash in Afghanistan that killed 14 and raised questions about its safety.
Defense ministers have said the gap between the departure of the MR2 and the arrival of the MRA4 will be covered by helicopters and Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130s. The first MRA4 has moved from the Woodford, England, production facility to BAE's Warton site for RAF crew training. The machine is scheduled to transfer to its main operating base at Kinloss, Scotland, in late summer once an initial release to service and a support contract are in place. The second of the nine production standard MRA4s flew earlier this month and deliveries of the nine aircraft are planned to be complete by 2012. Eight of the aircraft were heavily upgraded MR2 airframes with new engines and missions systems. The ninth aircraft is one of three pre-production aircraft originally upgraded by BAE for test flying. The remaining two test machines will be placed in storage having already retired from the development program.

REINO UNIDO SUSTITUIRA NIMROD POR EC-135/BRITAIN WILL REPLACE NIMROD WITH RC-135

Según Fligth Global y Flight International, El Reino Unido firmará proximamente un contrato para sustituir sus Nimrod R1 de inteligencia electrónica, por 3 RC-135 Rivet Joint, que serán modificados por L-3 Communications Integrated Systems en EE.UU Tres prototipos del Nimrod MRA4 de nueva generación de la RAF, han sido rechazados, debido al estado un tanto anticuado en que se encuentra la flota de Nimrod. La retirada del Nimrod MR2 de patrulla Marítima fue anunciada por sorpresa el pasado diciembre por el Ministerio de Defensa británico. Los vuelos cesarán el 31/03/10, un año antes de lo planificado, y dos antes de que su sustituto, el Nimrod MRA4 fuera entregado. El Nimrod R1 será utilizado hasta que el Rivet Joint esté disponible, gracias al ahorro que supondrá la retirada de la flota de Nimrod MR2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
According Fligth Global and Flight International, UK Ministry of Defence will sign a contract within the next few weeks to replace its British Aerospace Nimrod R1 electronic intelligence aircraft, having deemed the capability an essential element of its future military equipment inventory, for 3 RC-135 Rivet Joint that will be modified for operational use by L-3Communications Integrated Systems in the USA
Three development examples of the Royal Air Force's new-generation Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft has been rejected, a senior military source says the Rivet Joint contract will be signed "within weeks".
Long-term activities with the RAF's three Nimrod R1s had appeared to be at risk following the MoD's surprise move in December to accelerate the retirement of its remaining Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft. Its last Kinloss-based MR2s will stop flying by 31 March, a year sooner than previously planned, and two years before the last of nine replacement MRA4s will be handed over.
Ops with the R1 will be safeguarded until the new Rivet Joint assets become available, partially by using cost savings generated by the MR2 fleet retirement.