The Royal Navy has released a news item highlighting the critical role of two British ships, RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus, in a major international exercise in northern Australia.
These Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) support ships have been vital to the success of Exercise Predators Run, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.
RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus form the backbone of the UK’s Littoral Response Group (South), an amphibious task force ready to respond to crises east of the Suez Canal. Equipped with raiding craft, vehicles, and helicopters, these versatile vessels have been essential in deploying and sustaining the UK Commando Force during the exercise.
Exercise Predators Run, conducted near Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory, saw the Littoral Response Group working alongside forces from Australia, the United States, and the Philippines. From RFA Argus, three Commando Merlin helicopters from 845 Naval Air Squadron launched missions into the Outback, delivering troops and equipment where they were most needed.
Personnel from 1700 Naval Air Squadron, based at Culdrose, were also on board both ships, ensuring smooth and safe flying operations.
Lieutenant Commander Barry Smith, Commanding Officer of 1700 Naval Air Squadron, explained, “The squadron has embarked two aviation teams, including flight deck officers, aircraft controllers, and aircraft handlers, to ensure effective and safe flying operations from RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus. We also have a weapons engineer who maintains the Phalanx radar-guided gun to keep the ship safe.”
RFA Lyme Bay was the hub for amphibious operations, launching various craft to transport Commando teams and vehicles, such as the lightweight MRZR and the armoured Viking All-Terrain Vehicles, from ship to shore. The ship also conducted flying operations with the US Marines’ Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
The exercise highlighted international cooperation, with officers from HMAS Choules, a former RFA Bay-class support ship, visiting Lyme Bay. Additionally, British and Australian personnel collaborated on logistical support, particularly in fuelling operations in the challenging environment of the Bradshaw Field Training Area.
Lance Corporal Adrian Cluning of the Australian 1st Combat Service Support Battalion described the importance of the multinational petroleum operators (PETOPS) team, “It’s basically just a portable service station. We drive our petrol in a truck and come to refuel the team’s vehicles as we go. In a place as big and remote as this, you become an essential worker within the team – Army doesn’t go without fuel.”
Private Charlie Wright from the UK’s Commando Logistic Regiment added, “We just literally build a petrol station in the middle of anywhere and get everyone to come round and fuel up. We have a big responsibility to the team; it’s pressure, but it’s nice.”
Despite the tough conditions, the camaraderie between British and Australian forces was evident. Private Wright noted, “Working with the Aussies has been really good, really different. Some of the kit is very similar but the way we lay it out is slightly different. The banter, however, has been great – we’re similar in our humour.”
Exercise Predators Run showcased the operational capabilities of the RFA ships and their crews while reinforcing the importance of international cooperation in maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
For more details, you can read the full news release on the Royal Navy’s website here.
It’s concerning the RFA may go on strike, they’re such an important component of the naval service
They are striking RMT members of the RFA already have multiple times and Nautilus members voted to later this month.
Strikes in essential services should have been eliminated decades ago. What a way to run a country. Workers & management should be working together for everyone’s mutual benefit.
Management on strike as well, it’s the government refusing pay rises
Where is all the cash coming from Jim. They know perfectly well they can give limited pay increases but if you give everyone pay increases you get inflation.
The only reason the RFA is on strike is lack of a decent pay rise. Unlike the RN who have the Armed Forces Pay review team the RFA have the Civil Service who do not understand what they do and as such pay and conditions have been eroded continually since 2002/3. As a result forget doctors complaining their pay is some 35 percent in arrears, the RFA is nearer 38 percent. In addition travel and leave have been eroded and hence People are leaving in droves to go to offshore wind, ferries or cruise liners. If you want this crucial… Read more »
I think you are proving my point Mike. What I am suggesting is that the workers (doesn’t matter who Doctor, Nurses, RFA etc all public sector workers) should be working with their employers which is at the end of the day is US. If your life has just been saved by a Doctor or whatever you know perfectly well you would be happy to pay them £1M but you also know the country would be bust if you threw money round like that. We as a country f**ked up and allowed a financial crisis to hit us. We fired the… Read more »
Agree but my point is make the RFA crown servants not civil servants and pay the going rate and leave for the MN.
Technically if they are civil servants they are also crown servants however I take your point.
The logical position to be fair would be to peg pay & conditions to the of the MN however in my view the RFA should be tighter linked to the Military.
Shouldn’t there be at least a frigate escorting Argus & Lyme bay?
Pay RFA properly.
19 currently 15 escorts isn’t enough to provide LRGs an escort. That’s why MRSS is looking at sea ceptor potentially
Eh? We don’t have even like that number of escorts available. I’ll wager 4 at or ready for Sea.
Bit more than 4 but availability is another discussion.
This is why the Littoral Response Groups are pointless. Without escorts numbers they would never be usble in a crisis. If they need to wait for the escorts to sail there, the Littoral Response Group may as well be based in the UK.
Realistically they are just PR stunts.
That’s why they’re looking at giving future ships their own defences. Would need escorts yes but would at least help more than the state they’re in now.
We will see if anything ever comes from the new ships. They had to cut the defences for the carriers due to cost after all.
The other issue is the limited size of any force. There isn’t much in the way of light vehicles that pack a punch and so any force launched from these would be very light weight and so not really able to achieve much, outside a special forces style raid but there are better more stealth ways to deploy them at distance.
The US is investing heavily in missile based options for its marines as they move away from their tanks, whilst we go with new guns that are no more lethal but look cool, ok and are a tad more effective buy with same ammo not a whole lot.
Sure bu the carriers always get so.e kind of escort, more likely we get less ships than at least some kind of missile defense. Was part of the reason we split from the Dutch.
Tell that to the USN ARG in the Med…without escorts…
They are their own escorts. They have harriers/f35 on board and anti missile defences. They are pretty heavily armed just not so much against subs but they aren’t a major threat in the med.
So does a QE but the faux outrage of not having four escorts from the RN constantly with one of them is risible.
QE only has phanlax, the US wasp and America class have that plus RIM and Sea Sparrow. It would be risky having the QE operate alone in an environment with missile threats but the wasp/America less so.
Why?
There is a USN ARG sailing around the med with no escorts attached.
ARGs regularly deploy with out escorts.
Every unit that does a deployment doesn’t need an escort. Even Task Groups only stay together for exercises. The rest of the time they bomb burst and go off an do their own thing.
Although Aus if full of the decendents of the undesirable elements of the UK sent there in the 1800s…they are not really that bad anymore😁😁
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships deployed as, used as warships…come on government, treat them the same as navy personnel….
I have to say that I’m coming to the conclusion that the RFA are suffering from massive mission creep..the RFA is essentially a logistics service..its job has always been to move stuff. The Argus and Bays now essentially operate as warships…their Job is warfighting in the amphibious domain and any moving stuff is now a secondary role…I think in reality the Argus, Bays and their replacements should be commissioned into the RN.
That’s been going on since the early 1980’s. I would have to go through my collection of British warships and auxiliaries to be sure but there were comments from almost the beginning about pushing the RFA towards the Royal Navy
I’ve often wondered about that myself. Is there a specific reason why the RFA is separate from the RN ?, Do other navies have a similar auxiliary service? Would it be more cost effective to incorporate all RFA ships into the RN ?
Not really, RN certainly doesn’t have the staff and RFA ships are built to less stringent standards and personnel trained to less stringent standards and working conditions. Most likely if they tried to merge the 2 all the RFA personnel would quit.
US Navy has USNS which is comparable to RFA in standards.
Some do, some don’t. The main benefits f a non-naval auxiliary is they’re cheaper and can get fleet supplies from neutral countries during war.
On cost if you look at the RFAs 2022/2023 budget, the RFA had a budget of 92m. During this time they did all of their operations and covered 60-70% of the RN’s operations. Considering the RFAs bill is less than half of what the navy pays for personel alone during that time (est. 2.3B) they’re already extremely good value for money.
Big defence cuts are likely coming: RN programs are 16 billion over budget, new pay increase is coming out of MoD budget.
I would not be surprised if nearly everything “east of Suez” goes. Littoral response groups reduced to one, with only three replacement vessels built; would not be surprised if at least one carrier goes to free up personnel; destroyers frigates capped at 19 (officially communicated as an “increase” in numbers, since there are only 14 now given sidelining of HMS Northumberland).
Lots of rhetoric about unmanned systems (the “way of the future”) …
One carrier goes where? To the scrap heap? Would be a massive waste of money.
Sold if possible, if not, mothballed to reserve as a source for spares. Reduced operating costs and personnel freed up. It would also provide the opportunity to limit the F-35 order to 47 in total. Big savings there. Some covering rhetoric about “investing in Tempest” instead.
It would be a dumb move (and a waste as you say) but they will need to find money inside the defence budget given the gap in programs. This is a cut that could be made with minimal political fallout – i.e. no impact on existing shipbuilding programs.
I’d argue 1 carrier needs 3 squadrons, if not to give a full load to at least allow one out of rotation with 2 onbaord. So 48 still isn’t enough.
The fact that even now our defence reviews are doom and gloom is ridiculous
Hi Jonathan. We also see the RFA taking on MCM and hydrographic survey from the core Navy. Wonder if this driven off cost efficiencies ( if any)?
BZ Argus – the only Falklands War veteran still in service! Also a ship that the RN and RFA just can’t do without and can’t afford to replace.
I think her current planned out of service date is 2037! She has already long outlived some later RFA classes such as the Wave’s, and is set to serve nearly twice as long as the Bay’s.