I'm sure I remember press reports of the "scandal" of the state of much armed services accomodation. Maybe a few decades ago.

Are we going to be getting some old Harriers from the USMC ?

edited to add.....

Apparently not, it's a new plane called the Tempest.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-r...by-65-percent/

That the barracks had previously been used by 'brave soldiers and army personnel' in the past says nothing about their suitability or condition now.
It doesn't even say anything about their condition when they were used to house 'brave soldiers and army personnel'.
There is a reason they were abandoned, parts of the site hadn't been used for decades.

Tempest fighterOff topic but they are on about replacing the Typhoon with the new Tempest' stealth fighter from 2035.
There is talk of not bothering with any more F35s other than enough to keep one carrier at sea and jumping to Tempest for the RAF. 2bn earmarked for initial development already.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_Systems_Tempest

Actually I think it is quite a good idea of the HS, it will help acclimatise them to the conditions they can expect in a post-Brexit UK!

Well if there's one thing that the MOD is brilliant at, it's delivering big programmes on budget and ahead of schedule.:rolleyes:

And has the advantage of making them less dependant on the US, which has conclusively proven it cannot be trusted internationally.

It will be a huge money pit that is unreliable, over complicated and under performs.

There is criticism of the F-35 for cost. That will be nothing compared to this.
Look at the typhoon and before that the Tornado.
Why do we expect this new aircraft with it's 'energy weapon, ai, pilotless drone capability and everything else they could think of rammed in to it will be any better?
We will be able to afford about five of them.

Nimrod AEW is another good example.
Billions sunk init and it never worked.
It's taken us 35 years to sort out L85 Rifle and we had to get H&K to do that.
It started off in the late 40s as the EM-1 a good bullpup design that was liked by those that tested it.
This was abandoned and a bullpup conversion done to an AR-18 was made to save costs and development .
It was rushed in to service without proper development in a cost cutting form to boost the value of the Royal Small Arms Factory which the govt wanted to privatise.
It was a disaster from the start and in 2000 was given to H&K to fix. They virtually rebuilt it.
In the end it has cost far more money than throwing it away and buying M-16s or Steyrs or something from H&K.

Has she ever visited, let alone lived, in a UK military facility? Even a well maintained one?

That'd be the Tempest that doesn't exist yet as other than a giant plastic model? The Tempest that is blessed with not only BAE and QinetiQ, but also direct MoD involvement in the development?
:eek::boggled::eye-poppi:jaw-dropp:covereyes

Yes it's going to have stealth, optional manning, swarming drones, directed-energy weapons, hypersonic weapons, a completely virtual cockpit display in the pilots helmet visor and cost less than the Typhoon and F-35 and start coming in to service in 9 years time.

From the same people that abandoned upgrading the the Challenger because it was going to cost more than buying brand new tanks from Germany or the USA.
Same with the Warrior AFV. Not that they haven't spent about 40 million on 'studies'

Will it have antigravity?

Will it do test and trace?

Yet another reinvention of the wheel - which like so many of Boris Johnson's schemes will simply never happen.

Are we getting that from an aircraft manufacturer or has a member of their cabinet fast tracked their ex-Pub Landlord into the contract?

I think she should. Preferably with the rest of the Cabinate & a few of their backers. A period of about ten years seems about an appropriate minimum.

One that has been left standing empty for a few years and is now being run by a private contracting company that put in the lowest bid.

BAE Systems have put together a Panavia style consortium to develop and build the aircraft.
Getting a technology demonstrator to fly would be the easy bit, developing the avionics and weapons and AI stuff, that'll be the hard bit.

In 1986 a technology demonstrator called EAP was flying, but the Eurofighter Typhoon didn't enter service until 2003.

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I AGREE

It's QuinteQ and BAE so basically the latter.

It took seven years to get from mock-up and specs (the stage "Tempest" is at now) to EAP; eight more years to get to prototype; and nine further years to get to initial batch production. Oh and three more to IOC in squadron service.
And they're talking about "Tempest", incorporating far more, and more complex technologies, to be in service in nine years?

There are not enough :rolleyes: to express my opinion of that.

They're building on some work form the "Replica" project which underwent 5 years of development work in the 1990's, and the test bed model of Replica was spotted in 2014 at Warton, but still, it's an extremely ambitious timeline.

It's the same magical thinking that had the government spending hundreds of millions on a bankrupt satellite company with entirely the wrong type of satellite. :mad:

It would be interesting to know the financial links between current cabinet MPs and BAE Systems.

Exactly. And QuinteQ is involved, so it'll be an expensive disaster.
Plus you can kiss goodbye to substantial EU or US assistance; Britain has demonstrated a distinct lack of trustworthiness.

Grant Shapps says that a bridge is still being considered to link NI and Scotland.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...ireland-tunnel

That could be a minefield...

I see Gove's failure to deliver on his promise to ban electric-shock collars for animals is back in the news.

You do? Maybe a link to where you saw it?

Here for example. The furor over the YouTube videos seems to have reminded people of Gove's promise to ban the devices in the UK (excluding Wales) back in '18.

I think they should still be available for specific purposes. Like SortedFood "Shock The Chef" episodes!

I can see why he’s backed away from the ban, how would they ever get Johnson to sit and stay if they didn’t have him wear a shock collar.

Oh we have several, modified or intended for human use. We'd never use them on animals though.

At the risk of heading OT, there are BDSM versions that attach......elsewhere.
That's what I'd recommend for BoJo.

You know how you can get games controllers that come with really fast, constant, 'autofire' switches.................

ETA: And are they available in a mains version?

There are a wide range of electrical ''devices' that use mains (stepped down), batteries or the ever popular hand crank (for the 'Tucker telephone' traditionalists). In general batteries are quite sufficient for most scenarios.

Stepped down? Not suitable for this application..

I am sure we can link in an old voltage tripler from a CRT tube somewhere.

Thanks!

The article seems to lump together all remotely activated collars, both those that deliver an electric shock and those that do something harmless. The article refers to 'noxious' substances, but the ones we used released either citronella or simply compressed air. It was a waste of money, as our beautiful but brainless saluki was too stupid to make the connection between her barking and the noise or smell from the collar.

Knew someone who used a compressed air one on their red setter, all it did was make the setter bark more.

I remember a one pleasant park in small town USA when some idiot introduced air-horns to deter dog fights.
:mad:

“It is not a project that is likely to survive beyond the initial technical & cost appraisal phase” - Philip Hammond on Johnson’s Northern Ireland bridge/tunnel plan

But some of his cronies will get a lot of cash while it lasts in consultancy fees, feasibility studies, etc just like for his London 'Garden Bridge'
if you can charge £2.5m for a bit of IKEA & paint for a briefing room, think what you could charge for mulling over an undersea spaghetti junction!

The blue will be a godsend for video editing.

James Wild Tory MP for NW Norfolk tweeted

@jamesowild
Today the @CommonsPAC scrutinised the BBC on its strategy.
As well as asking about licence fee, commercial income, and efficiency, I asked about the Flag of United Kingdom as I cldnt spot any in its 268 page Annual Report.

The Tories have promised to protect leaseholders from cladding costs no less than 17 times.
Tonight, they voted against this in Parliament for the third time.

Nice that they can afford a new jet for Boris though.

And a refurbished home paid for by alleged undeclared* donations because, after all, the Prime Minister of Great Britain deserves no less than the President in the White House.

Next the two-hundred bullet-proof limousine entourage, to be transported abroad everywhere the most highly honourable one goes. His Excellency deserves no less.

*All these thoroughly scurrilous claims designed to undermine the very fabric of the UK government - the scallywags should be taken out and shot at dawn [That's quite enough~ Ed.]

Thankfully he's being thoroughly roasted in the replies, with some pointing out that the 2019 Tory election manifesto had zero union flags as well.

Ah the beauty of a Tory majority….

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56500680

Giving their supporters what they want.

Boris has spoken about the BBC 'Union Flag' controversy and the lack of them in the annual report.

He says the BBC are 'out of touch' and too 'metropolitan'

Expect lots of flags all over the next one.

The UK government has asked for the union jack to be flown on all UK government buildings every day of the year from now on.

Currently, union flags are only required to be flown on all UK Government buildings on designated days.
New guidance is for the flag to be flown all year round, unless another flag is being flown, such as another national flag of the UK.
where dual flagging ( that is two flags on one pole.) will now be allowed

If there is only one pole and another flag needs to be flown for a designated reason the Union jack should be flown above whatever other flag is to be flown, they are using the example of the union flag alongside the saltire.

Where buildings have two flag poles, they're now advised to fly the Union flag will fly alongside any other flag,

The new guidance applies to England, Wales and Scotland only. Northern Ireland has separate legislation dealing with flag flying, due to the obvious sensitivities.

SNP is not impressed.
"This idea seems to have been inspired by Tory ministers watching an episode of the Thick of It...If Tories think an overload of Union Jacks on buildings is the answer to promote the strength of the Union, it shows how thin the case is."

Do you remember in The Sound of Music how the authorities were insisting that all buildings flew the Nazis flags?
Is that where they got the idea from?

You just know that there’s a Tory MP with a close relative who owns a newly founded flag making company in China.

You ninja'd me. This is a disturbing development which made me think of certain definitions of 'fascism' - enforced nationalism etc. I hope that Wales, Scotland and N.I. tell the Tories to shove it.