What is wrong with the AgustaWestland AW101, commonly refered to as the Merlin?
Printable View
What is wrong with the AgustaWestland AW101, commonly refered to as the Merlin?
Good point, so why are they developing another aircraft when one already exists to fill the role?
Must admit I'm not to up on my aviation and got the information about the lynx from an article I read, I think it was something to do with troop capacity or lifting weight.
The points both Stek & Bratty make are valid ones, the trouble is, as a country we are paying for strategic mistakes made a long time ago, and these mistakes take a very long time to wash themselves out of the system.
We do need a helicopter that can work in hot and dry environments such as Afghanistan, but if we buy the US Black Hawk then we are totally reliant on them for spares service and technical support.
In the event of any sort of diplomatic tiff, they could just walk away and leave us with a pile of unserviceable scrap.
They look after the US first as they should and if some government like ours is stupid enough to be drawn in, just like the Air Traffic computer fiasco they'll throw us to the financial dogs.
We need to support our defence industries, and award contracts to them quite candidly on the basis of GB company gets GB contract.
The US have done this for years, and it is what we should do, this is one reason why our aviation indusrty has withered and shrunk whilst our american counterparts survive and thrive.
Gazza 57:o
I was lucky enough to work for 24 years on the Westland Lynx from its Debut through to the Army Mark9. The problem is that a NEW aircraft (irrespective of which country builds it) is a development platform. The Lynx was VERY, VERY, VERY labour intensive but on the positive side they were very manouverable, the merlin uses a lot of the DEVELOPED (at a lot of cost to the military) technology.
If I was in the market to buy a second hand military helicopter (as some people collect military vehicles) I would avoid the LYNX (and therefore the merlin) and plump for a Black Hawk (or HIP because it is as rugged as a Massey Fergusson).
Dunk
We also bought the Apache from the Americans.
I would love to see all our equipment being bought from home producers but I think the investment just hasn't been there for many years.
It's a shame because we used to be one of the worlds inovaters, just look at the Harrier, which we sold to America, and the subject of this thread the Vulcan, but the powers that be throw so much money away there just isn't any left for this kind of thing, still, at least we have plenty of "out reach" workers and other such non jobs along with the gold plated pensions and plenty of sick days on full pay every year:zx11::zx11:
Rant over
Sadly,
Your comments about the lack of investment in the defence sector are completely accurate.
This sector has been regarded as an extremely attractive target for the accountants to sink their avaricious jaws into, not helped by those who feel now that the cold war is over, we don't need defence anymore.
If you look back at history, there were many people in the 1930's who thought that after the Great War there would never be another one and the league of nations was set up to police disputes between countries so why did we need to spend money on defence or armed forces?
Enter stage left Adolf Hitler, he basically ignored the league of nations in exactly the same way as Saddam ignored the UN.
If you get a despot like that, are they going to take any notice of the UN? of course not.
Look at recent events with the Falklands, the argentines are now stirring things up again, the threat never recedes, all countries are constantly probing eyeing up borders, seeing what they are able to get away with.
The US has refused to sell the Raptor to anyone else preferring to keep it in house and thereby it's secrets and capabilities secure.
Could you see our government Labour or Tory doing that?????
They'd sell it to anyone for profit, just as they'd sell anything else.
Gazza57:zx11:
Why do we not just become neutral? like switzerland! Everyone is trained and has a bombproof bunker in EVERY!! block of housing. There protective doctrine is that if you mess with us! then you mess with US
(and I mean US, not the united states)
Plus our banks will be able to hide money from dubious scources but despite that it will save us money!!
Dunk
why does this aircraft cost so much to get parts?
I don't think GSF stock the parts anymore:(Quote:
Originally Posted by ricbw2
Err, berceuse it is an ex nuclear bomber and there is only 1 in flying condition.