Try living the dream, UK MoD-style:
In a written statement to the House of Commons, which gives the opposition parties no immediate riposte in parliament, (Defence Secretary) Hutton has announced that several key programmes will be delayed, or cut back. Aircraft carriers, ordered for £3.9bn earlier this year, will now have to wait for the right aircraft to go on them before they join the fleet.
In this case the right aircraft, the plane for which the ships are designed, is the Lockheed F-35. Now climbing towards the $300bn mark in the US, it is the most expensive fast jet programme in history. There is a chance the US government could cancel the programme altogether – so for the UK waiting for the 150 planned for the Royal Navy and RAF could be like waiting for Godot. They may never turn up.
In the most optimistic scenario the planes won’t be ready much before 2020 – so the carriers will flying the White Ensign ten years behind schedule, in 2022 at the earliest. The navy are already referring to the ships as the “late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince of Wales”.
This after the UK finds itself £1.5 billion ($2.2 billion) in the red on current expenditures, according to the Guardian contributor.
Tough choices will have to be made in new procurement, but killing the F-35 would be politically poisonous and a disaster for the aviation industry: Apart from the US and the UK, there are seven other major allies signed on to acquire the aircraft, including Canada, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Turkey. Israel and Singapore have signed on to join the program, while both India and Brazil are rumored to be interested in an export variant. Lockheed Martin has bet the farm on the strike fighter, partnering with BAe and Northrop Grumman, who also have significant major stakes.
The UK numbers seem trivial contrasted to our defense expenditures – especially in light of all the money being thrown at underperforming elements in the financial world, not to mention the auto makers. But Britain, which once “ruled the waves” is now on track to have a smaller fleet than will France and even the Netherlands, while the entirety of of the UK Army is 40% smaller than the US Marine Corps – the smallest service in DoD (the Coast Guard is smaller at 42,000 personnel, but falls under Homeland Defense administratively).
It may be that as liberal democracies mature they inevitably favor their social support systems over national defense. Britain’s defense expenditures as a proportion of GDP ranks them #71, while the US ranks 41st. In case you’re curious, China ranks 21st by that metric, assuming transparency in their numbers.
Which is not unlike assuming a spherical cow.
I thought Grumman already went through this in a previous life with the A-12. It’s hardly a wonder to me that Ivan’s exports and licensing for the Flanker variants are not suffering; naval version included.
Political poison seems to be something we’re becoming more and more accustomed to ingesting these days, made all the more palatable by The Chosen One’s expert ministrations among MSM. Anymore they’re so high on the epinephrine fix given them by their master, that they’ll golden up anything he says. “Uh, Uh, this program is going to bankrupt us, and we can’t have that when we have a Global Welfare Initiative on the table. We need to think beyond just ourselves and..and..think globally. I did say things were going to get worse. Well? Y’all heard me say that. Right?”
It’s all in how he makes us see the dilemma at hand; ‘makes us’ being the operative here.
Total threadjack here, but this critter IS going into the wardroom at Villa Mongo
Threadjack over…
Mongo’s gonna have some autodog parties.
One might note the correlation between Britain’s decision to cede naval superiority and Britain’s decline as a great nation. If one were so inclined.
Mongo-
Homemade dog! Bravo.
I’m stuck with the kind my dog makes. Ewww.
Autodog flashback. Wardroom. USS Tripoli 2004. Third week of six month deployment with long, hot periods in the gulf ahead.
Lots of Marines on LPHs for those what don’t know. Standing in line for fresh dog. Comment ahead, loud enough for most to hear, “hey Bob (young USMC aviator), pulling on that handle harder ain’t gonna make it come out any faster, it may be empty, so wait”.
“I got it”, says he.
Snap! Handle suffers severe material failure due to overstress.
The dead silence. The horror. The looks. The walk of shame out of the wardroom. Fortunately, engineering (battle damage repair) saved the cruise. Our man may have earned a new handle for that one.
So, Mongo… is that an invitation?
Threadjacker,
I see that yon critter begets but 1.5 quarts of frozen softness.
Pray, what will YOU snack on when I visit Chez Mongo and….. um……. “assess” samesaid goo for the good offices of Neplex Quality Control, Inc.?
PG@6: Perhaps…but certainly not before a full Flight Test Regimen.
Indy: Indeed, what I will snack on. Mmm…Mmm…Mmm. Oh sorry. Didn’t mean to be rude.
Great friend of mine and roomie on my first deployment later made big bucks establishing the Baskin & Robbings franchises throughout Alaska – OK, no smart a@@ comments about selling ice cream to the Eskimos. He later took his kids, raised on B&R ice cream, on a “Tiger” cruise compliments of his nephew who was CO of a Prowler outfit. After experiencing the joys of “auto dog” in the wardroom, the kids never again wanted B&R ice cream. Nuff said.
Ok. I’ll play straight man.
For us civilians, could someone explain the “autodog” references? Or would that get someone arrested?
Ain’t much to it. It’s just soft ice cream, coming out of the machine in a swirl.
Sometimes it’s chocolate. Looks like summat a dog might leave behind. Automatically.
Six months at sea, you find humor in the small things.
Being a spoil-sport and getting back to ther original thread, this is really just a follow-on to the F-22 thread and yet another example of our self-imposed death spiral in the West. Here in America, “Carthage must be destroyed!”
(i.e.. SS & Medicare reform)
The autodog reference reminded me of an incident that happened a few years ago.
I was at a Civil War re-enactment in Boskobel, WI. It’s August. Hot. Upper 90′s and humidity so thick you thought you could cut a slice of air and serve it with angel food cake. Oh, did I mention Civil War uniforms? All that hot, thick wool and the top button fastened, for that was the style, along with that heavy woolen cover?
Yeah, we literally wrung our blouses out after marching in review that morning. It was going to be awfully hot on the open field for the battle.
Loading up the pistols and chugging water at camp, I notice a squad-mate shoveling into his maw from a watermelon half, the first half having been already eviscerated.
“What are you doing?” I queried, in spite of not really wanting to know.
“Hydrating,” came the reply. “Watermelon is mostly water and sugar, and I’m going to need both today.”
“It’s also more fiber than you’ve probably eaten all week,” I responded. “Let me know how that works for ya.”
A few hours later we form up, march up the hill towards the field, and like all armies stand around for about 30 minutes baking while our superiors race about on their ponies and hold Important Conversations on, I dunno, how to look good in front of the crowd on a horse.
Then the cannon opened fire. The deep, resonating boom you feel more than hear, a sound that makes a man’s guts tighten. Pucker factor, they call it — the reflexive response to danger, an involuntary tightening of the rectal orifice and retraction the testicles to somewhere near the kidneys.
And then my squad-made did burst from the line and quickly performed the clenched-cheek-trot from parade formation to the camp and the waiting head, not to be seen until well after the battle was over.
– Max
I still think we ought to make the Brits an offer…we’ll build them two CVNs (which we do pretty well) in exchange for two dozen or so corvettes (which they do pretty well). Everybody saves money and time.
There is already a proven, affordable (and safe) U.S. carrier jet the Brits can buy. And of course the two carriers they want can be made with catapults and arrestor gear if so inspired.
Brit accent: “Launch the two Rhinos on alert 5.”
RE: autodogs
And all this time growing up on Dairy Q and Tastee-Freeze swirls who knew what they REALLY were?
Eidanevergess-tit.
Grew up with DQ, TFs and Carvel back east.
Might just get an autodog for the whole famn damily.
[It's great how well thought names can take over a thought leaving you to just about forget the original -- sumptin like calling our Gov Arnold Streudelmaker.]
“It may be that as liberal democracies mature they inevitably favor their social support systems over [proper] national defense.”
There, fixed.
I think the trouble is a very long period of relative peace after a holocaust in which 100 million or so lost their lives. Liberals gain the ascendancy, and the softheads with no historical grounding, or knowledge of sinful human nature take over, and then try to remake said sinful human nature, or ignore it, with the same consequences, and then run the country into the ground. It has always been thus.
Virgil
My wife still thinks it’s gross when I want to stop by DQ for some “Dog covered in Poo” (vanilla dipped in chocolate)
Threadjack from Comment #2
Mongo,
My sister, her husband, my niece (9), nephew #1 (7) & nephew #2 (4) thank you for helping me find their “awesome” Christmas present.
Best,
Jake (soft serving)
We now return to discussing how expensive it is to run MoD.
You’re very welcome, Jake. Now when B-I-L gets himself into the doghouse, the AutoDogger goes with him?
Back to MoD: I’m kind of with Mike, but would go with the LHD instead.
I find it curious, however, that the Trent Lott, LHD-8, is listed as costing almost twice as much as the rest of the class;
Queerbarge(d@mn keyboard!) Kearsarge is only half the cost. Isn’t NavSea looking to secure the production line after #8? I’m sure they’d appreciate any kind of extension at Ingalls.Mongo,
Just ordered the Autodog apparatus, having spent the past few days wondering how to get it thru Mrs Indy’s ‘Female Wall of No.’
To wit, it will be a gift not from me – that would be doomed – but from the cats, to the whole family.
When Mrs Indy deploys her FWoN, makes ridiculous claims about cats being unable to give unacceptable Xmas presents and utters her usual anti-soft serve tirade, I shall call a family-wide election to determine whether soft serve ice cream has a future at Chez Indy.
With three children aged under 10 likely to be swayed by their father’s influence, I’d say Mrs Indy’s FWoN is about to meet its Yultide nemesis.
Can someone explain to me why having one Lightning is better than having ~3.5 Hornets is a good thing? Seems to me that having a bunch of a really good thing is better than having some of the latest thing… when you’re talking about military equipment. Just seems to me that he with the mostest toys will beat the guy with the bestus toys based solely on swarming the enemy. Or is my logic skewed?
Of course, if the Lightning has onboard Autodog dispensing capabilities, well then I retract all of my comments.
Lee,
The F-35B has the autodog; you just gotta rotate the jet nozzle down to dispense.
This thread has ‘gone to the dogs’ but it is fun.
Thanks for ‘autodog’ explaino. I’ll have funny dreams about F-35B from now on.
Ordered mine as well.
Just hoping that Surly’Table give a slight commission to our Blogger-in-Chief.
Have yet to ‘splain what an Autodog is to our kids. Knowing me,they are expecting the worst.
Seeing as this thread is hijacked already….
I showed mom the link to Autodog (R) (TM) and she said, “Hey, the Linen & Things here is closing / going out of bidness, let me look and see if they have one.” Indeed, they did, and for one half of the price of that there surly table place….FWIW, YMMV etc., etc., etc…
Mongo, If I recall correctly, form your postings, you live somewhere in Washington State area.
If you hear whoops and hollars on Christmas day, that’s sis and her family cheering your good judgment in posting here. They live right there in NW Wash.
To (sort of) tie this into Naval Aviation , B I L used to work for the Navy somewhere in the Seattle area (I think it was) and is a fan of USN type planes.
Regards,
Jake (Typing way too much)
[...] Lex has an update on the Royal Navy’s deal for new aircraft carriers in “Think We’ve Got it Bad?” This is in line with what my friend told me as he packs to move back home from the UK in [...]
Hey, Mongo,
Our AutoDog machine just arrived at home. Our thanks for the suggestion!
Our 13 year old daughter asked Mom, “Why is an ice cream machine called an autodog?”
Some days, you can’t get home soon enough.