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Post by sevenoaksbull on Feb 1, 2024 21:01:39 GMT
Yes. So did I. Bloody heavy things for a scrawny 14-year-old to manage, though. Thumbnail in the breech to confirm rifling all clean and tidy? Oh yes. I still do that when checking the barrels on my Beretta after cleaning.
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 1, 2024 21:14:24 GMT
Yes. So did I. Bloody heavy things for a scrawny 14-year-old to manage, though. Thumbnail in the breech to confirm rifling all clean and tidy? The thing I don't get is they gave you the most up to date weaponry of the time and you still weren't happy despite being so well resourced. Feck me. I'm so disappointed that you think I'm THAT old. 😂
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 4, 2024 19:00:43 GMT
Hmmm. Seems we might just be about to send a Carrier to the Middle East. Question is, which one? The one whose propellor shafts are perfectly aligned, or the other one? Imagine if the vessel despatched had to be towed back to base from just around the corner of the Brest Peninsula. And in any event, to provide a proper 'Carrier Support Group' we would need the cooperation of our European 'friends and allies'. Yeah, right. Despite all the bullshit and bollocks, all of this just serves to confirm that this country is FUBAR. PS. Apart from the CCF at school, I have no military experience whatsoever. But I would trust my judgement over that of Shapps, he of the wild sort of combover/combunder who allegedly is now our Defence Secretary. FFS! Goodness me. I have just read that HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of our world class Carriers, which was due to participate in "the biggest NATO exercise since the Cold War" has had to be withdrawn at the last minute, because of the discovery of a problem with one of the propellor shafts. It will be replaced with the other one. Which I think has had the same issue with propshafts. Earlier, I mentioned the embarrassment of being towed back to base from the Brest peninsula. Perhaps getting one of these ships beyond The Needles would be something of an achievement. Laughing stock doesn't get close. 😕
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Post by eggchaserbull on Feb 5, 2024 13:03:45 GMT
Javier Milei, the new right wing Argentinian President, says that Argentina has a "non-negotiable sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. In 1982, 255 British Servicemen lost their lives in the Falklands war, and over 600 Argentinians.
I'm not sure if people are aware, but this Tory government has withdrawn all Naval patrol and guard ships from the Falklands; since 2018 the only Naval presence in the Falklands has been HMS Forth, basically a fisheries protection vessel, with one manually fired 20mm Oerlikon and one remotely fired 30mm Oerlikon. These have a max range of about 2000m, hardly going to scare a properly equipped warship.
There are 4 Typhoons (1 of which is knackered) supplementing this Naval defence.
The Argentinians are in the process of buying 24 F16 fighter jets from Denmark, and 3 submarines and further warships from Germany or France.
It is my opinion that the Tories, led by Thatcher, deliberately allowed the Falklands situation to escalate because they were unpopular going into a final year before an election. The Jingoism they created in the population carried them through the election.
In 1977, a similar situation occurred with Argentinians illegally occupying a Falkland island. Jim Callaghan, a much maligned PM, but the son of a Navy and Coastguard man, and an ex Navy man himself before being invalided out, chose not to sacrifice British Servicemen for political popularity. He set up Operation Journeyman, a Task Force, to travel to the South Atlantic and deter further Argentinian transgressions.
We've got another unpopular Tory government facing an election defeat. I just hope they're not planning to sacrifice more young Britons.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2024 13:14:48 GMT
I saw a photo of a ship the other day on Twitter or something that had a gym fitted in the bowels of the ship in a space that was meant for missiles. A bit like what they did with the squash courts at the swimming baths.
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 11, 2024 16:32:12 GMT
Stop Press. MOD Latest!
The departure from Portsmouth of Aircraft Carrier 'HMS Prince of Wales' to join a major NATO exercise was delayed today at the last minute, for "unspecified reasons."
Not enough sailors?
Not enough ethnic minority staff on board?
Deary me.
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sisyphus
Senior Member
Taking no chances.....
Posts: 651
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Post by sisyphus on Feb 11, 2024 18:17:02 GMT
I think we all need to learn this little phrase. Just in case.
(It covers all eventualities)
ni kapitulacas
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Post by greekgod on Feb 21, 2024 9:10:31 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68355395"In a statement the Ministry of Defence admitted an anomaly had occurred in the most recent launch. But it also said that HMS Vanguard and its crew had been "proven fully capable" in their operations and the test had "reaffirmed the effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent"
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Post by sevenoaksbull on Feb 21, 2024 19:50:11 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68355395"In a statement the Ministry of Defence admitted an anomaly had occurred in the most recent launch. But it also said that HMS Vanguard and its crew had been "proven fully capable" in their operations and the test had "reaffirmed the effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent" Yup, the crew is capable and well trained. The problem is the weapon system and its delivery vehicle. A bit like giving Lewis Hamilton a knackered pick up an asking him to beat Verstappen in his latest Red Bull F1 car….
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 21, 2024 23:02:40 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68355395"In a statement the Ministry of Defence admitted an anomaly had occurred in the most recent launch. But it also said that HMS Vanguard and its crew had been "proven fully capable" in their operations and the test had "reaffirmed the effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent" Yup, the crew is capable and well trained. The problem is the weapon system and its delivery vehicle. A bit like giving Lewis Hamilton a knackered pick up an asking him to beat Verstappen in his latest Red Bull F1 car…. I think I'm correct in believing that the Trident missile is manufactured by Lockheed Martin in the US. I think the same company manufactures the ejection seat apparatus fitted to most western fighter aircraft, including those in service with the RAF. In light of recent events, if I were a RAF pilot I would probably be a tad concerned. 😟
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Post by greekgod on Feb 22, 2024 7:03:35 GMT
If you were a RAF pilot, I'd probably be a tad concerned.
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Post by sevenoaksbull on Feb 22, 2024 7:34:38 GMT
Yup, the crew is capable and well trained. The problem is the weapon system and its delivery vehicle. A bit like giving Lewis Hamilton a knackered pick up an asking him to beat Verstappen in his latest Red Bull F1 car…. I think I'm correct in believing that the Trident missile is manufactured by Lockheed Martin in the US. I think the same company manufactures the ejection seat apparatus fitted to most western fighter aircraft, including those in service with the RAF. In light of recent events, if I were a RAF pilot I would probably be a tad concerned. 😟 Ejector seats are made by Martin Baker, a British company, not owned by Lockheed. They are very successful. Worth reading the book ‘Eject, Eject’, which gives the history.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2024 7:56:50 GMT
If you were a RAF pilot, I'd probably be a tad concerned. That's why I chose to be a builder and not a jet pilot.
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 22, 2024 8:48:53 GMT
I think I'm correct in believing that the Trident missile is manufactured by Lockheed Martin in the US. I think the same company manufactures the ejection seat apparatus fitted to most western fighter aircraft, including those in service with the RAF. In light of recent events, if I were a RAF pilot I would probably be a tad concerned. 😟 Ejector seats are made by Martin Baker, a British company, not owned by Lockheed. They are very successful. Worth reading the book ‘Eject, Eject’, which gives the history. Clearly my thinking was incorrect. Thanks for putting me straight.
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 22, 2024 8:50:16 GMT
If you were a RAF pilot, I'd probably be a tad concerned. With good reason. 😃
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Post by greekgod on Feb 22, 2024 8:50:19 GMT
I think I'm correct in believing that the Trident missile is manufactured by Lockheed Martin in the US. I think the same company manufactures the ejection seat apparatus fitted to most western fighter aircraft, including those in service with the RAF. In light of recent events, if I were a RAF pilot I would probably be a tad concerned. 😟 Ejector seats are made by Martin Baker, a British company, not owned by Lockheed. They are very successful. Worth reading the book ‘Eject, Eject’, which gives the history. Watched it on betamax, not what I thought.
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