Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless recently conducted the first live firing of its 4.5″ gun in seven years.
The historic event was documented by the ship and shared on its official Twitter account.
HMS Dauntless is the second ship of the Daring class. Together, the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 Destroyers are among the most advanced warships ever constructed. The vessel had been out of service since 2016 and is now returning to service after refit and work t her power plant.
According to a statement from HMS Dauntless, the initial test firing was a comprehensive exercise that involved operating the gun at various bearings and elevations. This was done to ensure the proper functionality and accuracy of the weapon system.
The live firing was conducted as part of an ongoing training programme for new members of the ship’s boat and bridge teams.
Command Approved!
The ship conducted her first 4.5" gun live firing in 7 years today. The initial test firing involved operating the gun at a range of bearings and elevations. 💥💥#TheAirDefenderOfChoiceThank you @HMSPortland for supporting. pic.twitter.com/0JvDSkmbhc
— HMS Dauntless (@HMSDauntless) February 11, 2023
The purpose of the programme is to maintain the high level of operational readiness that is expected of all Royal Navy vessels.
Trials, training and assessment will continue, with the ship fully operational and ready to deploy worldwide in summer.
Beautiful looking vessel.
Agreed.
Good to see her back after her PIP refit. When the T45’s get CAMM and perhaps the NSM in place of Harpoon these ships will have real hitting as well as defensive power.
Cheers CR
HMS Dauntless presumably working up to rejoin fleet, post PIP refit? Always believed reliable propulsion to be a reasonably important consideration for a warship. 🤔😳 😉👍
It’s quite useful for aircraft as well.
Absolutely! 😁👍
That is the best bit!!
The big TV set further aft is quite a nice toy.
Is it just me or is that rather underwhelming ? Didn’t they design a 155mm upgrade a while back and does anyone still make 4.5 ammunition ?
Still a lot of 4.5 inch guns out there.
I trckon there are 26 Mk8’s in active ships. But some are in ships over 40 years old (6 Brazilian Niteroi’s).
Just because they are still around doesn’t mean they are still good enough.
We still have 30 32pounders on HMS Victory but I’d rather have a 5” or 155mm in service.
I got it to 30.
T23 12 RN
T45 6 RN
T23 3 Chili
Niteroi 6 Brazil
Alvand 3 Iran
God knows what state their ammo is in.
There was yes – http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_61-52_future.php
Should have been done years ago😎
Thought so cancelled in 2010, then again the Army never got the 52 calibre 155mm either. Something to do with the ammunition or other,
What wasted opportunities and resources (again) and not backing further developments by British industry. Why even they went 4.5″ instead of staying at “5” and using standard NATO rounds with ER options as are now available?
The 4.5″ was the logical choice given the medium calibre gun history in the Royal Navy since before WWII.
The Royal Navy is only moving to the 5″ given the state of the armaments industry and force levels in the UK. It was either BAE or Oto Melara weapons – and BAE do not manufacture 4.5″.
The 155mm AS90 derivative showed some promise, despite some technical issues, before been axed just as the T45s were coming into service.
We even developed our own US compatible 5” in the 1950’s. Cancelled in 1953.
The problem with the 52-calibre ordnance is it’s sheer length. It’s 1.5m longer and severely affects mobility; it hits things driving x-country and sticks out driving on road.
The 4.5″ has a longer range because the ammunition is more powerful; a function of 1000s of tonnes of ship being better able to handle the recoil than a land-based ordnance.
Which is not why we didn’t go with it just like everyone else did, it was £££ simple as that.
The AS90 Braveheart turret fitted with a 52 calibre beat the German PZH2000 turret in a Polish project competition.
Now they are building them in Poland as the Krab which is mounted on a Korean chassis.
They just ordered more and some are in the Ukraine.
That disaster called the 2010 review axed that project.
Perhaps somewhat underwhelming, yes. I believe in the age of sail RN could fire once every three minutes as an average.
It’s like something out of a ‘Carry-On’ film !
How did they get the birds nest and cobwebs out of the barrel ?
Are we meant to actually ‘celebrate’ this event. ?
Fire the gun. The birds nest take a multiple mile journey on top of a big shell.
The new MOD/Royal Navy motto is ….’Fitted with but not used ‘…. wonderful. Somehow we are meant to be proud of that, delusion at its best. Coming soon to a defence blog near you the latest production of. …’Ah Cruel TRUTH’ ….the spell binding story of the navy that never fired it’s main guns for 7 years !
When ships are non operational or in refit as Dauntless has been they tend not to fire their guns. The residents of Portsmouth or Birkenhead would be a bit alarmed if they did!
😂😂
Oh dear, I didn’t imagine that they would ……..
That said one of the old Helo cuisers Tiger or Blake I cannot remember which , fired a drill round in Pompey dockyard back in the day.
Although not a gun, Frigates have managed to launch torpedos alongside as well.
Wasn’t it a T23 that fired a torpedo onto the jetty? 🤔
Its been more than one T23 thats done it!
My Uncle has often mentioned Blake and Tiger. He served on carriers and the Royal Yacht.
A County class once fired a Sea Slug which hit Wales. I think that land was the only thing that Sea Slug ever did hit as I understand they used some for shore bombardment in the Falklands
There are parts of Liverpool that could do with some urban redevelopment – like, all of it.
And yet there are not too many navies in the world who get to take part in multi asset live fire sinkex with LGBs and missiles with the USN at a real target – ex USN Perry Class, which took place just a few months ago.
So not all bad and not the case the navy has not fired its main guns in 7 years. 😀
The point published by UKDJ was -that particular gun on that particular ship hadn’t, quite amazingly, been fired for 7 years – hence my comment with its slightly generic flavour….
It was the free fall bombs that were a little concerning there as a stop gap for something more appropriate. That said worth the effort I guess asa one off to test the theory.
It would be quite unusual to fire this gun when the ship was laid up as it was.
I didn’t think it would be for a moment…..rather emphasizes my point….”..laid up..”….
Should be in to have the barrel replaced after sinking pirates and Iranians!
What does this say about RN readiness? ‘Out of service since 2016’! Is this what we can expect from HMS Prince of Wales?
Maybe we should buy foreign built ships???
Off topic but apparently MoD are resuming payments to GE for Ajax. Last payment was Dec 2020. This from a report in FT on Thursday – not seen it mentioned on here?
I read the same thing and wondered what had significantly changed to the point where they could resume payments. AFAIK none of the problems have been resolved nor do GE even have a plan for remedying them.
Great for her to back into the fleet. She’s only done a few years service 2010-2016 before being tied up. Practically a baby
Hopefully that means when the cockups happen in the type 83 build we won’t be in such a bad situation as the 45s won’t have as many miles on them.
How come a major surface unit has been out of service/refit for 7 years 🤔 was it that badly built or did we just not have enough manpower to crew it ?
My understanding is that repair time is governed almost entirely by budgets, though removing and inserting large objects such as generators is a non-trivial task.
Was at Excellent I think as HTS?
Yes the T45s have not really has much sea time. That does give plenty of time for their replacement as I cannot imagine we will see the first T83 until 2040s The yards will be be busy building the T26 and T31/32s until the mid 2030s. So I imaging the T45s will be a good 30 years old+ before they get replaced. Unless the RN goes for something like a T26 AAW deign which would be a wee bit quicker…that has pluses and minus. We still have lo live with that 10 year pause in building any escorts between 2010… Read more »
Main gun? Isn’t that her only gun?
Somewhat shocking that one out of our mere 6 Destroyers is in refit for as long as 7 years. Haven’t other naval refits been much quicker?
I agree with Danielle – beautiful ship.
Graham, one L please, thanks mate! 😀
In theory, she should have:
Not really, she should have a lot of smaller caliber guns too:
1 × 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun
2 × 30 mm DS30B guns
2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS
2 × 7.62 mm Miniguns
6 × 7.62 mm general-purpose machine guns
She can pump more lead in a minute than a scrap metal gang can strip from church roofs in a month.
50 cal is also available now.
Fair point. One NGS gun and quite a few cannons and MGs.
First is, welcome back to the fleet. Second is when is she to get the Sea Ceptor/NSM upgrade. To be honest I would have kept her 12 months more in refit to have the full upgrade package. With six years active service she is a relitivly new ship with possibly 20-25 years of service left. With that being the case why not keep her in dry dock for a further 6-12 months for the weapons upgrades and possible sensor upgrades and make her a true Destroyer. I have always been a believer of Adm Fisher, ‘The Royal Navy ‘should always… Read more »
Hi Ron, short reply if I may as my lunchtime is running out. Been said before, with 10-15 years left in these T45s and post PIP hopefully they will give them a decent missile uplift in addition to the Aster upgrade and the T83s still a long way off. Nice that 2×4 NSM will be fitted, but why not 4×4 NSM, maybe with 2×4 FFBNW, 16 is the new 8! CAMM, why not 6×6, 3x6x2 side silos There’s room, not too heavy, above deck. Cherry on top would be 1-2 MK41s in the existing slots. So few ships, surely maximise… Read more »
You probably dont need to be in a graving dock to do the SC upgrade. Its mostly upperdeck /2 deck steel work, not below the waterline stuff. You could spiral it in with a good bit of Project Managing to install it in stages over a number of alongside repair periods if needed. As for fixed plate radar. A CEFAR on an Anzac is around 5-8 mil AUS D a plate. They aint cheap and the latest fit has 8!. They also need a massive amount of cooling water to be sent high up the mast to stop the things… Read more »
Well said. It’s unbelievable the number of times people completely ignore that we’re a member of NATO and we will never repeat never be alone if at war with Russia. But it won’t register with some people it’s something they cannot accept no matter how many times by how many different people it’s explained to them. But the truly depressing part is the number of politicians and senior officers serving and retired who use the same arguments. At least we can hope they at least know they’re talking bullshit.
The HMS dauntless is not NATO’s problem. It’s the Royal Navy’s problem. Yes everyone knows the UK can’t fight anyone by themselves anymore. To have a destroyer alongside for 7 years speaks volumes and should to anyone who has a clue. It’s a messy world we live in. This is the UK’s asset to provide to NATO. That it has not been available for 7 years speaks for itself.
Want to discuss USN attack subs?
Tico Cruisers
AB Destroyers?
The RN isnt the only Navy with ship repair issues.
7 years isnt an accurate summation. Remove the time in Refit, 2 years, and the real issue is actually the 5 years where nothing happened with her. As of now, that was then. The issues that caused that decision to put her in extended readiness has past and that shouldnt be an issue for other vessels.
Oh dear, not only Brit squaddie socks in your washing you have found a bacon and beans ration pack under the marital bed…..Its ok, im sure your husband bought them off ebay.
?
Lots of fingers pointing at Thales at the moment.
Thales is the very last name on RN’s Christmas card list. Opinions vary as to whether that is a cause of or a response to the extremely slow rate of progress on R09. There is also a profound disagreement about whether or not the problems were foreseeable – there are of course massive commercial implications riding on the answer.
GB do you or anyone else have any idea how much buoyancy reserve the T45 has post PIP ? I know they fitted an extra upgraded Diesel, renewed the 2 existing ones and fitted a new switch room. But that all weighs so is there sufficient reserve for a bigger gun, fixed Twin ASW tubes, NSM, 24 CAMMS silo and maybe a better sonar.
Just wondering.
Lots of reserve left. Most kit is relatively lightweight in relation to the actual weight of a ship. Putting new kit onboard above the metacentric height is more of an issue as that affects the stability. A 16 cyl Paxman Diesel weighs in at around 14 tonnes…I changed one ( Again!) on a PC a few months ago. Taking that as a rough approximation the new 3rd DG set, switchboard ancillaries, pipes etc is probably going to come in at 40 Tonnes. Its all weight down low which is good. As for the items you listed it shouldn’t have a… Read more »
Separate, but what’s the issue with HMS Trent as far as you’re aware, GB?
Thanks for that GB, Imasked the right person. I just watched a video on the New MTU 4000’s on Dauntless they are beasts. Is the RN going all MTU ?
Despite all the criticism of CL taking 770 days for Dauntless, Darings PIP took 496 days so it is looking good to get em all done a wee bit quicker than 2026.
The sandowns where re engined for the Gensets some years ago . They removed the old CV8 ( Chally engine!) and replaced them with Volvo engines, readily available spares and worldwide support from Volvo trucks. Rosyth took an age, months, to do the job on the Sandowns that they had, one at a time. We did the Kipion Sandowns in around 5 weeks each. Old out New foundations New pipework New exhausts New engine in Set to work Job done. We also tied it in to a maintenance period to get other stuff done. No where near the T45 PiP… Read more »
Job satisfaction is a rare and much underestimated benefit. Treasure it.
I have to say looking at what the PIP involved I am not surprised the 1st took that long. I think they essentially converted the propulsion and power system from IEP to CODLAG (hope I got that right as I am crap with Acronyms).
informative post – thanks Gunbuster.
I am fine with 95% of your Post, except when you mentioned Admiral Fisher. Dreadnought OK he drove that through and it was a radical development he was instrumental in the reform of officer training and proper recognition of the engineering branch. But he is the same person who bulldozed the Battlecruiser designs through, yes they could hit hard, yes they were fast but the lack of armour and the short cuts taken to keep hitting resulted in the loss of 3 ships and their crews (2AB and 1 PO were relatives of mine). The insistence on fitting 4” guns… Read more »
I’d be a little easier on Fisher, since his naval foresight outweighed any foibles of being human, and thus not actually able to physically see into the future. The Grand Fleet i.e. with battleships, scouting cruisers, and destroyer escorts, was the primary counter to peer aggression. On this front we had a finely equipped force under a good verall commander. These combined sent the High Seas Fleet packing due to pretty excellent tactics when brought to bear. The original rationale of the battlecruisers was to overwhelm any likely foe encountered in the Empire i.e. by speed and firepower. Though I… Read more »
I’d far rather see them prioritise TBMD capability for the T45 and ASW sensors and additional CAMM in the T31. Putting CAMM in T45 is just making them better at something that they are already good at
Good but they really do need to be better now that things are hotting up. The 48 Sylver cells will no longer contain the mix of Short range Aster 15 (1.7 to 30km) and Aster 30 (3 to 120km). But solely the Aster 30 and possibly some NT (ABM) versions. Which means we have moved the defence circle outwards but at the cost of short range missile coverage. Modern AAW relies on a layered defence hence adding fresh short range capability. CAAM is lighter than Aster 15, is a soft launch weapon, has a similar (or better range) and is… Read more »
CAMM also has a better minimum range for engagement and an Anti Surface capability which ASTER 15 does not
To be perfectly honest it seems to me that they have got a far better end result than if they had stuck the MK41’s in as originally intended. As you say CAAM is a far more versatile weapon than Aster 15 and has commonality with the Army Sky Sabre.
And as we are sticking them on T26 & T31 why not leverage the investment.
IMHO I’d stick some on the QE’s and the future FSS as well. My simple reasoning being 6 AAW T45 can’t be everywhere and saturation attacks need volume to counter.
Uk doesnt really do missiles on carriers. Sea dart came off the CVS it was to much hassle to carry on with it. FOD is a big issue.
Let a T45 do area defence with T26, T31 doing Local area and Goalkeeper tasking as the Seawolf T22 used to. That lets the carrier carry on with its primary tasking launching aircraft and leaves the air warfare woosh and bang stuff to others.
I am a proud Scot and we have a wee saying “everyone’s oot of step, bar oor Wullie”.
I’d take the RN approach and ask if every other Carrier Nation applies “Murphy’s first Law” and does mount SAMs (not counting the one in Thailand as I don’t think it qualifies these days).
Nice chat by the way 😉
That’s a really well argued post mate. Thanks for taking the time to reply
Thanks for that, Now I have had a bit more time to think, we have essentially added the entire 24 CAAM of a T31 frigate to a T45 for a relatively small investment. Even a Bean Counter should like this one.
I dare say the ABM enhancements and Aster 30 block1 (or 2) NT’s will not be such a bargain.
The ASTER 15s will be reroled with a booster to ASTER 30. The ASTER front end dart is the same for both missiles so double dip in!
I know and that just makes even more sense. We essentially changed from (hypothetical as I don’t think they were max loaded of the mix) 24 long range and 24 short range.
To (maybe) 12 ABM, 36 long range and 24 short range.
What’s not to like ?
Seven years.
Is it me?
Did someone break a mirror.
Yes it HMS dauntless chief engineer that broke the mirror just before the engine troubles.
You see there’s always a broken mirror involved somewhere.
Sun and Daily Mail both reported over the weekend that the UK has agreed a £2bn deal with Australia to build an SSN in Barrow as an interim capability for the Australians until a new next gen SSN design comes online.
While I wouldnt obsess too much over the details (they say it will be an 8th Astute but it likely would be more a hybrid design) its certainly promising for UK industry.
I did not think there was any spare capacity at barrow, to be honest if there was any spare capacity then getting an order for an foreign SSN is a big deal, I don’t think anyone else has ever built an SSN for export before.
Jeez, that hasn’t made the news down here…
Its likely only agreed at the intergovernmental rather than contract level and wont be announced until March when Australia presents its submarine plan. Australia may even get several options preliminarily agreed in advance so their PM can make a decision from the options officially presented to him. US may also be able to spare one boat for the interim capability, either a refueled older boat or pushing for another Virginia to be squeezed out over the next decade (again utilizing Australian furnished shipyard workers to boost capacity as their main bottleneck is a labour shortage rather than slipways) now that… Read more »
Being a bit silly here, but if we sell, it’s HMAS Australia, if we buy it back, maybe HMS Australia? Good news and potential for the UK sub industry. Well done if it’s all true.
If we have the capacity it makes sense for all involved. Astutes are the best compromise for the Australians even if they would eventually like more flexibility in land attack. Crew size compared to US alternative would be a massive consideration, it would give earlier capability to give Australian skilled workers expertise when the their next gen subs are finally constructed at home and offers an earlier state of the art sub for them to work with. Especially if they get a US Submarine transferred too which is all they would realistically get. Would be a decent compromise a US… Read more »
Firstly there is no ish in designing a Nuclear Sub. Building more Astute’s is a complete non starter, it is like trying to put Concord back into production. The Astute hulls, reactors, cores and equipment are all built, they are just being assembled, fitted out and ready for trials. The production facilities cannot be repurposed backwards and are being fully utilised to build the next generation and the new bits do not fit the old hulls. If we wanted to build more the decision had to be made @8 – 10 years ago. Do you know just how much it… Read more »
Still can’t see any info on this anywhere here… but it might “surface” a bit later… Lol 😁
Putting to good use all those RAN personnel getting trained on the Astute. Is this a 50/50 UK – Australia sub agreement or an outright 🇦🇺 purchase?
If it is fundamentally an Astute and the Australians dont try to mess around installing US systems my bet would be a purchase with an option to sell back; UK would buy it back when the Australians started getting their new submarines and so wouldnt have to worry about operating mixed SSN classes, UK would likely use it to retire the Astute in the worst condition. If the Australians did stick a load of US systems on it you would likely see it be retained by Australia as a training boat. For the UK I would expect they would leverage… Read more »
From hints included in the other article that was submitted here in another thread, that scenario would very possibly fit the bill whereby the UK will be more involved in the process than previously suggested where a totally US supply line with only some UK kit was the likely scenario. Building another Astute would also give the option of transferring an existing Astute to Australia at some stage while the new one completes construction so again Australia gets a boat somewhat earlier along with training and maintenance skills built up as that is no trivial matter. I guess we will… Read more »
I can see the future it’s boat number 7 getting gifted out🙈
Well why not lease them one ? We want to Pivot east and forward basing 1 would save reactor time.
That sounds a bit odd to me, the lead time for the components takes years, Barrow is full on into the Dreadnoughts and the last 2 Astute’s hulls are in the Shed being assembled. And then there is the small issues of a Reactor and core. The PWR2 is out of production and RR is now on PWR3 and it is a very different beastie. Also the idea of building a one off hybrid with either a bulged pressure hull (a La early ideas on the B2TC) to take a PWR3 or try and fit in a US reactor just… Read more »
Yeah though if they went for the US equivalent of the PWR2 as used in the Virginia which is narrower than the British design it wouldnt be a space issue but an integration one. However people are overestimating the issue of building another one, they are boutique items and more will have been produced than fitted. There is also no intention of Australia developing a nuclear industry to build or support their domestic production. They will be black box systems to minimize legal ramifications of tech transfer and its not likely that even SSN(R) the most advanced in design work… Read more »
Boutique items ! The RR plant here in Derby isn’t a bloody dress shop that can knock up a reactor on spec. Due to the way these are built and the absolute exacting standards of the castings, special metals and machining they are hideously expensive. RR builds for the UK MOD do you think they would order more just in case we fancied a change. In the UK only 1 is built per boat ordered as they are never changed out. Cores were slightly different as extras were needed for refueling the PWR1 and early PWR2 but due to the… Read more »
I wonder if the catch is to sell or transfer one of the 7 UK Astute’s as part of the deal?
No theyve explicitly said they wont lend or sell an existing one to Australia, they can have newbuild only.
The only thing that concerns me about this apparent good news is the time out factor. Does anyone know if the 7 years tied up time would increase the available Hull / Engine lifespan ?
Because if it did I wouldn’t be surprised if some Penny pinching politician decided to delay building the T83 after the T26.
Sounds fanciful ? Nope that is what happen between Vanguard class and Astutes.
Lots of unnecessary negativity here chaps! The main gist of the story is that she is coming out of being a dockside weed planter and slowly testing her systems and combat readiness to become a bloody warship again! Only good news in this story 👍
good point Airborne!
The type 45s have had relatively relaxed lives due to all the breakdowns, refits and reserve spells. They have very little miles on the clock so mechanically and hull wise they should be good for a while longer.
We need to learn from the type 45 programme that 6 air defence destroyers aren’t enough. 12 is a much better number. Fingers crossed the RN will get a decent number of type 83s. Definitely more than 6!
Good evening Mr Bell, can we even wait that long for the T83? Mid 2030S! If you want more quantity, maybe its time for an interim AAW T26, as a T46, as someone previously wrote? Maybe 2-3 of those? But the T45 upgrades obviously must be completed first.
It is good seeing the T45s coming back into the fleet.
Oh you 4.5 gun posters of little faith! Some Gunbuster stuff covering a lot of posts from below. Every gun from a pistol to a 4.5 has a maintenance regime associated with it. A series inspection by DEFENCE ORDNANCE ASSURANCE SERVICE (GUNS) DOAS (Formerly NOIO BR862 NMER Para 0552 refers) is carried out usually every 6 months on mounted guns. All guns are stripped down to component parts inspected/replaced, reassembled and gauged. On reassembly they need to do a test firing. To prove the gun and mount safety firing arcs you usually do Max elev, max depression stops, left/right stops… Read more »
As always a fountain of knowledge gut buster. The 4.5inch gun is great, hopefully the move to the 5inch will be just as good. The big guns do so much more than just naval shore bombardment. I like the Italian range of Oto Melara guns mainly for range of shells. 127mm, 76mm. They even tried to fit a 76mm onto a few vehicles one being the otomatic. A bit ahead of its time I think. Perhaps it will make a come back for drone defence. Another thing about guns I was reading the other day was that the gun fit… Read more »
I was the level 3 base maintainer for the Oto 76 at HMS Tamar in Hong Kong for nearly 3 years between 93 and 96. My family and I left summer 96 as the final year was singlys only but was back 6 months later on HMS Beaver. Its a good gun but if it goes wrong it goes wrong catastrophically. Its built to be very lightweight. Lots of alloys, lots of big holes drilled through stiffeners and parts to reduce weight. Pretty much the whole gun reload and feed system is mechanically tied together. Get an issue with the… Read more »
Those NSMs are coming just in time…
https://www.irishnews.com/news/worldnews/2023/02/11/news/sudan_military_review_gives_go_ahead_to_establish_russian_navy_base_on_red_sea-3053593/
China and Russia know where to pick some strategic locations (and so do we of course). Just waiting for a China-Russia base lease in South Africa…only 1/2 joshing. I think the West needs to re-engage there more and soon. The current providing relief aid to Syria I think is a good action, demonstrating some humanity and “love for our enemies” and their suffering populations. Gets in their hearts and minds and shows them that we can deliver the soft and the hard power in quality and quantity and at short notice and which is a good counter narrative.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/why-countries-are-jumping-opportunity-open-bases-africa-169036
My nephew is in the SADF. Already seen Chinese none uniformed persons looking at Simonstown….They are already sniffing around Argentina bigtime. That’s why I say our focus should be on the Atlantic. Leave the Pacrim to the US.
Been quite a few years since a frigate/destroyer or RFA vessel has been down south. Don’t even know if APT south or north even exist now.
Problems with a shrinking navy. It’s great HMS forth is there but if for some reason the Panama or suez Canals gets shut that area of the world becomes very important.
The Falklands…. Really? Jesus man 41 years ago….
Strategic importance to stopping communist influence from spreading. Like St Helena, Pitcairn, Diego Garcia, Ascension, and a few others. French have possessions all over too. I personally do not want the Chicoms in the Atlantic area. As for The Falklands? Jesus has nothing to do with it, the will of a few thousand people who live there to remain British does, however.
Yaaaaaaaawn
Apart from acting as an engineering training ship, Dauntless has been out of action for longer than the time from the Munich crisis to VE day. Astonishing.
How incompetent can the MOD get? Did they have any seagull nests in the gun Barrel? How much is all this costing the British tax payer?
First time in 7years eh claimed a historic even. I despair it rather sums up the state of our armed services Ammunition shortages as claimed in the press today seem to be justified .
But to proudly announce the firing is laughable and utterly worrying
On the positive side this means that we are in danger of moving to a point where all 6 type 45s actually work properly. The PIP seems to have been a success. Daring should join Dauntless giving us type 45s you can actually take anywhere.Hopefully experience will allow the remaining T45s to be upgraded quickly.
The 155mm gun project had potential to deliver a hard hitting long range fire support weapon but was a bit of an oxymoron. You surely wouldn’t use a £1billion air defence destroyer to undertake NGS. Makes more since fitting that weapon on a GP type 23 or better yet a type 32 frigate.
A longer range and arguably more accurate solution might be to fit a navalised MLRS.
Blimey talk about overkill a single MLRS rocket costs $150K each. And that isn’t the top of the line ones. Which is probably why the US and Germany didn’t go down that route.
A T45 is a bloody big ship to be protected by a Pop gun, it is larger than some old 6” cruisers. A single standard 155mm is $800 and extended range Excalibur is @$47K. Any of these will really spoil your day.
Just not as impressive as an 8 gun 15″ broadside of the old days.
Noticing most of the rather snide comments to the rate of fire.
It was declared that the process was merely to check/test the various elevations and how true that fire was followed through.
Does anyone seriously expect an entire fusillade of shells.
It must also be noted that the gun itself is an addendum to the Type 45s main armament of its complement of sea viper missiles, phalanx and machine guns.
Shouldn’t of had anything wrong with Engines in first place. They where brand new ships of the line. We need more frigates. Destroyers & more UK fleet air arm F35s. RAF needs more frontline Fighter/Ground attack Aircraft. Take Training out of Privatised company hands & put back into RAF hands. More line infantry Battalions making up each regiment.3 regular + 3 Reserve = 1 Regiment. Maybe bring back county regiment historic names.as in main Regiment Name. Royal Irish Rangers. Southerland & Argyle Highlanders or Sherwood Foresters etc. Build off shelf modern tanks under license in UK, Now. Then design and… Read more »
The RN and RAF seem to have learned how to spend budgets to improve Operational Capability over the past decades. The army has shown its self as being incapable of spending its budget in a sensible way. Its spaffed billions up the wall on FRES/Warrior Upgrade/Ajax? Watchkeeper/AS90. Its still using FV 430 family vehicles designed and brought into service in the early 1960s! Yes they have been updated , but has the RAF or RN still got a 1960s era system in service? No. So how would you like to protect the UK? ASTER 30? So Sampson radars every 150… Read more »
What I believe is more worrying is the back story of the UK defense industry possible unable to manufactory its own large gun barrels? I understand the issue we can no longer make the 4.5″ gun barrel whjich is the same problem I with the 120mm CHARM gun for Challenger 2 etc.? The former ROF site in Nottingham used a large vertical forge to produce the 120 rifled barrel. Once the site was closed down by ROF the expertise was lost and we subsequently tried to make the barrels using a horizontal forge on other sites and using SA barrels… Read more »
From my understanding Barrow has the capability to produce breech blocks and barrels up to155mm. I believe they also refurbish the current AS90 and Chally 2 L30 barrels. So in essence they could licence produce the Rh120 L55. The CHARM rounds are still made by BAe in Wales. The main issue for the gun was HESH, as BAe stopped making it. We weren’t buying enough to make it profitable for them. Luckily there’s a manufacturer in Belgium that makes HESH. Though with Chally 2 going to Ukraine, I would expect them to burn through HESH at an alarming rate. Hopefully… Read more »
It wasnt limited AA…it was full on target triggered busts against air targets. Loved seeing TTBs !
It might have gone for refit but it looks like tgey forgot to put the Phalanx CIWS on….
When she gets back to operational status they will be there – with all the work done on her they were surplus to requirements.
Correction – top pic must be a library one,all present and correct now https://twitter.com/HMSDauntless/status/1625832808865202179 –