British Royal Navy seamen are drilling to fend off potential drone attacks against £4 billion ($5.3 billion) Vanguard-class subs using fire hoses as the only onboard air defence weapon.
The hoses, known as centre-fed reels, are placed on submarine decks as a precaution when the vessels are moored at the British naval base Clyde in Scotland.
Fighting Russia with Water Pistols
The equipment has pistol-grip nozzles that would allow sailors to direct water at approaching drones.
‘You have to use what you’ve got,’ the media cited one of its sources as saying.
Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines
The Royal Navy’s four Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines are the only British platforms equipped to carry and launch Trident II nuclear missiles, which deliver the UK’s only operational nuclear weapons.
The King’s Navy insists that layered defenses, including physical barriers, patrols, surveillance, monitoring, and counter-drone capabilities, protect the subs.
Worst crisis in 350 years
The report comes as the Royal Navy is facing what a former senior commander has described as its worst crisis in 350 years.
The UK’s entire fleet of nuclear-powered Astute-class attack submarines are not fit for combat duty, retired chief of the Naval Staff, Lord Alan West, complained.
Six Subs Laid-Up
Five of the vessels are facing maintenance and availability delays, while the sixth, according to the Royal Navy, is still undergoing sea trials ahead of returning to service.
West described the number of ships the Navy has as ‘pathetic.’ The fleet has just five operational frigates and no amphibious assault ships, while former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government retired four frigates, two assault ships, two tankers, and a nuclear-powered submarine during his time in office.
Fuck the Schools and Hospitals
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This year, the UK has pledged an additional £15 billion in military funding, citing alleged threats from Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed claims that Moscow wants to attack NATO. He accused Western European leaders of escalating tensions with Moscow
He pointed to their statements about preparing for a possible war with Russia in 2029 or 2030, repeated military exercises in the Baltic Sea, and attempts to detain Russian vessels. ‘This is all escalation,’ he said last week.
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Categories: Britain
As much fun as it is to take the piss out of the UK with this and the airbase issue, I do think this is going to be a trend going forward in that unlike the “good old days” when we thought our home bases and even forward bases were safe territory, today as drones and missile spread out forces, we will see a similar spread out of bases and as a result we’ll have to go further down the road of unmanned weapons. If a sub is too big to defend, we’ll have to have 4-6 minim unmanned sub drones spread around to keep them safe. Same with air assets, which is interesting for us in Canada as one of the key pluses of the Saab Gripen is its ability to operate from dispersed locations and roadways. This could be what kills the F-35 around the world before any weapons system to radar can.
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