Maritime Patrol on a Budget?

[hertsman]

Neat little MPA coming soon. It may lack a few capabilities (well, quite a few actually) but it is cheap and cheerful and shouldn't take too long to become operational. Following courtesy of Aviation Week:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/de ... d=blogDest" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hertsman

[POL]

Tecnam really are pushing their 2006s in every role possible! Didn't Partenavia come with with something for the P.68 that never really got anywhere?

Would be intrigued to see how this compares to the Cessna 404 we have in the role at the moment!

[hertsman]

What I find interesting is the number of smaller MPA options that are being floated now. A number of manufacturers are actively promoting smaller, more affordable platforms, and a bit bigger and more capable than the Tecnam. This means that the industry is beginning to recognise the financial realities faced by their customers.

It should result in some good systems becoming available without having to double the national debt to buy them. Value for money is something we have been abysmal at achieving in defence procurement. The cheaper it becomes, the easier it should be to fill some of the capability gaps left by Nimrod with something pretty decent when the time comes, without necessarily having to go as big as Poseidon. Not that I would be upset if we did, assuming it has proven itself in the meantime.

hertsman

[hertsman]

http://www.defensenews.com/article/2012 ... |FRONTPAGE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Defense News reports that Boeing may offer some of the sensor package from its Poseidon in smaller airframes for those who may not need or cannot afford the full leaded-petrol version itself.

The market for this type of aircraft is certainly heating up, with the nervous Pacific nations getting ever more twitchy about the rising naval star of China.

Probably means we will have plenty of options too when we get around the addressing our MARPAT capability gaps. And with more choice and longer production runs, we should be able to strike a good deal as well.

hertsman

[flat cap]

Daily Mail today :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... mrods.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rivet Joint is hardly 'off the shelf'.

EDIT:


opportunity for positive government spin here:

viewtopic.php?f=287&t=56205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CHINOOKER]

Love the sub-headline in the Mail's article....."culpability gap".......They sure don't seem to like this Government and the way it does business!!

[Phantom II]

Daily Mail today :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... mrods.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rivet Joint is hardly 'off the shelf'.

EDIT:


opportunity for positive government spin here:

viewtopic.php?f=287&t=56205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That`s a strange looking MRA4 in the Mail picture? XV229 Mk2 perhaps? Typical!!

[mrlongbow]

Yet another pathetic and totally ill informed article by the Mail! I do not even want to look at the comments section or i think ill go mental....

[hertsman]

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.asp ... 449541.xml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Aviation Week item on UK maritime patrol matters.