Israeli firm to supply light tanks to undisclosed country

Harimau….

Without getting into the wheels v tracks question, would a 105 mm equipped Ajax not greatly increase our mobile firepower? Development should be fairly easy and low cost.
Deploying a 35 ton vehicle even if tracked must be much less complicated than a 70 ton MBT. The US have an active programme to deliver mobile firepower after the failure of the Stryker armoured gun system.

I totally agree, I do think the British Army needs a complete rebuild and rethink in its fighting formations.
To start with I would restructure the Army on the Battle group concept, Armoured, strike and mobile. All would be about 800-1000 men, an Armoured BG would have 28 MBTs 56 Ajax and supporting Artillery etc. Three battle groups makes a Brigade group, each brigade has a fourth from the TA. Three Brigades makes a Task Force (Div), with three front line brigades and a TA brigade that is 9,000 plus 3,000 men, 254 MBTs plus 84 from the TA Brigade, 340 plus 158 Ajax. This does not include artillery or support units but fighting units. This could be the UK Heavy Division. As for the Strike Units build them the same way but based on Boxer, a heavy Boxer BG could have 28 Boxers with a 105mm gun and 56 with 40mm, a fast Boxer BG could be based on 40mm gun variants. We could using this method build a highly mobile reaction force of three fighting divisions and one reserve division. We should also have an extra Brigade attached to the RN made up of a armoured BG and two strike BGs each with its own LHD that would mean the Army has a USMC style Brigade of 3,000 men going over the beach, 28 MBTs, 56 Ajax, 56 Boxers with 105mm guns and 112 Boxers with 40mm guns not to forget the follow up Brigade from the TA on Bay class vessels. Not only that but they would or could have their own air power for example one Canberra type and two Dokdo types could carry 12 F35Bs, 8 Apache’s, and 36 Merlins. Such a Amphibious strike battle group would make any nation in the world look twice. This Amphibious Strike Group could be enhanced with my idea of the T32 and LSS which I would base on the Damen Crossover design, the combattant carries 110 Marines and the Amphib carries 200 Marines if we could build these say six combattants and three Amphib thats 900 RMs. Thats now almost 4,000 men going over the beach. As for support its not needed the Crossover type combattant carries guns upto 5 inch and missiles. Yeep I know money money money, the complete cost of the naval building program for my idea would be £5.7 billion, expensive not really. We are looking at a T32 mothership so that could be the Crossover combattant, Boris Johnston said he would like 24 destroyer/frigates well that could be the combattant, so one ship three roles. The MoD is looking at a LSS well that could be the Amphib version of the Crossover, as well as being a mothership or T31 Frigate escort The MoD might want to replace the Albion class well that could be Dokdo type so the only above expenditure is the Canberra which could be seen as a replacement for Ocean as well as freeing up a QE carrier. Not only would the Canberra type replace Ocean but she would free up a carrier, could act as an escort carrier, an ASW carrier, or heavy equipment humanitarian ship, so four roles one ship. Not only that but it frees up the T45s and future T26s for blue water operations and the T31 for policing patrols. So the real above what could be expected cost is approx £2 billion. I am sure that some inventive accounting could put the budget for this program over to some other government accounts such as international aid. When I think this would be a ten year build plan and 40% return to the treasury it is a worth while concept. So I have had a look at the army for its future land mobility and strike and how to launch the army from the sea, now lets look at air. From the air the army needs to be light and mobile so the leading force will and should be the Para Regt. However we could combine the Paras with the light infantry and possibly Gurkhas possibly equipped with the Mission Master UGV from Rheinmetall, fitted with heavy machine guns to the WARMATE Loitering Munition System. So we need an airlift capacity for a Para battle group of upto 1000 men and a second lift capacity with short battlefield runway for a further 1000 men and light fighting equipment 4 hours later all supplied for three days of full contact. This would mean 10 A400- Atlas aircraft being allocated for a first drop ability. In these numbers for fighting units I have left out approx 15-20,000 men and women for enginers, REME, Sigs Logistics etc. However if I had my way I would use these people in peace time to build some on the UK national infra structure very much like the US Corp of Engineers or Sea Bees. That again would give a return to the treasury and real work for the techies and engineers to keep them from getting bored.

So by redesigning the Army and investing into the Navy/Airforce whilst keeping the numbers that seem to be coming out I have given the Army one heavy division Two Strike Divisions a sea borne Strike Brigade and a light airborne division, with reserves., However it means investment into the Army for Boxer modules, e.g. 105mm guns, 155mm gun modules, upgrade or design buy new MBTs and some smaller things. The investment into the RN would be a complete restucture of the Amphibious force and more helicopters. This would give the RN more frigate, mother ships, LSS, Assault ships and humanitarian ships. It could make the RN possibly the second most powerful amphib force in the world. The RAF needs 10 more Atlas’s and 20 F35Bs on top of the 48 expected. In return it would give a lean mean fighting machine, able to go by land, sea and air any time any place and fight.