HMForces.co.uk

Good news during Gordon Brown's 'difficult economic circumstances', in spite of his governments 'difficult managerial circumstances', Shipbuilders in Glasgow have been awarded a contract to help develop Royal Navy warships for the forseeable future.

BVT Surface Fleetwork will work on plans for the new "Future Surface Combatants", which will replace the Navy's Type 22 and 23 frigates.

The company are a joint venture between BAE Systems and VT Group, employing up to 3000 people in Scotland. The new warships will enter service around 2021.

Those numbers, weren't then done as such so the navy could afford the two new carriers ??

that would be a very small navy if the went down to that sort of size, about 16 vessels plus subs and amphibous ships, wont that make the entire fleet number about 30 vessles ??

with the RFA on top and survey vessle's and the coastal patrol ships ?? so guess work probably 60 ships in all ??

you can bearly do out with those sort of figures,

when you consider the new carriers are going to require at least 4 ships in their fleet plus an RFA or 2

then the amphibous ship will require 3/4 ships to gaurd and an couple of RFA to refuel and supply, if they go as a fleet(doesn't leave much in terms of surface vessle's with any fire power to do much does it)

typical government, dont spend money where they should waste it bailing out a banking system that is still losing money

Yeh the news is good -- for industry -- probably not that good new for thr Royal Navy as they stand to lose force numbers

but if the fleet keeps shrinking it wont be long till we only have a coastal force(unable to defend our homeland/overseas dependencies)