British Armed Forces Thread

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Britain to examine arms sales to Israel

Britain is reviewing the sale of $13.48 billion of military equipment to Israel to judge its suitability in light of the conflict in Gaza, the British Prime Minister's office said Monday.

Export licenses have been granted to 130 British suppliers of equipment, and the government said contracts will be individually examined to guarantee "internal repression or the provocation of conflict" is not the aim of the purchase by Israel, reported The Guardian.

Of particular interest are contracts for cryptographic software and military communications. The action comes after Prime Minister David Cameron agreed with the United Nations that Israeli shelling of Gaza schools was a "moral outrage."

"We are currently reviewing all export licenses to Israel to confirm that we think they are appropriate," a spokesman for the prime minister said.

Among the material supplied by British firms are components for two of Israel's most visible items in the Israeli arsenal -- the Hermes drone and Merkava battle tank. The British government, though, said it would not investigate it British-made parts were in use in equipment deployed in Gaza, and reinforced its belief Israel had a right to its self-defense.

Read more: Britain to review arms sales to Israel - UPI.com

 

[HMS Astute]

2014 NATO Summit Wales, United Kingdom

On 4 to 5 September 2014, Wales will host the largest gathering of international leaders ever to take place in Britain as the UK hosts the NATO summit. President Obama, Chancellor Merkel, and President Hollande are expected to attend along with leaders and senior ministers from around 60 other countries.

The summit comes as NATO draws down from its longest ever mission in Afghanistan and against a backdrop of instability in Ukraine. It is an opportunity to ensure that NATO continues to be at the forefront of building stability in an unpredictable world.

Nearly 10,000 police officers are being drafted in to cover next month's Nato summit in Wales, an event described by the officer in charge of the security operation as "completely uncharted territory" for UK policing.

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/nato-summit-wales-cymru-2014

 

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Home boys chillaxing in Astan!

 

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HMS MONTROSE initially sailed into the Mediterranean in August with a number of other warships as part of the Response Force Task Group

During her APT(N) deployment in the Caribbean, HMS ARGYLL visited Montserrat to liaise with agencies to discuss disaster relief available and to take part in some volunteer work in the local community.

The ship's company of HMS Lancaster were delighted to take their friends and families to sea for an action-packed insight into life on board a Type 23 Frigate of the Royal Navy.

Royal Navy SeaKing Mk4 helicopter from 845 Naval Air Squadron firing decoy flares during the Response Task Exercise

The ship's company of HMS Lancaster were delighted to take their friends and families to sea for an action-packed insight into life on board a Type 23 Frigate of the Royal Navy.

WO2 Richard White Commando Training Centre Royal Marines

HMS VIGILANT returns to HMNB Clyde after her deployment, escorted by HMS TRACKER.

A Royal Air Force Voyager passenger transport aircraft pictured at RAF Brize Norton on its return the UK with troops from Afghanistan.

 

[HMS Astute]

F-35B aircraft BF-04 recently completed landing tests this summer in real-world conditions of rain on the runway, heavy weather and extreme crosswinds at Edwards Air Force Base and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. Watch the video to see the aircraft in action and hear from the F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force team."

 

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Photos taken during flight test

UK F35

 

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British Gen. Sir David Julian Richards, Chief of the Defense and his American Counterpart U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in London.

Sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) conduct a replenishment-at-sea with the Royal Navy Fleet Auxiliary fast fleet tanker RFA Wave Ruler (A390).

The Royal Navy Trafalgar-class submarine HMS Torbay (S90) is underway in formation with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group and other NATO ships during the U.K.-sponsored joint exercise Saxon Warrior 11.

Leading Airman (Aircraft Handler) Wayne Bowring from the Royal Navy stands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) while an MV-22 Osprey takes off.

The British Royal Fleet Auxiliary amphibious assault vessel RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009), left, the mine countermeasures ship USS Sentry (MCM 3), the British Royal navy destroyer HMS Diamond (D 34), and the mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) transit in formation in the Gulf of Oman.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary replenishment oiler RFA Fort Victoria (A387) transit the Arabian Sea.

Sailors assigned to the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dauntless pilot a rigid-hull inflatable boat during an anti-piracy exercise

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary amphibious assault vessel RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009) and the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (AFSB(I)15) lead a formation of ships participating in International Mine Countermeasures Exercise .

 

[HMS Astute]

Hundreds of sailors are preparing to set off on one of the Royal Navy's largest annual deployments.

The Ship's Company of HMS Bulwark is expected to sail from Devonport tonight to lead the major amphibious exercise.

 

[HMS Astute]

Don't really want to create another new thread just for a topic, so i am posting this here.

UK company launches mini hoverbike

Deep in the English countryside, aeronautical engineers are perfecting a new generation of hoverbikes


Thanks to a Kickstarter project and a dedicated team of engineers at UK company Malloy Aeronautics, this new hoverbike could be flying through the air near you.

The small drone is just a 1/3 scale version for mass production, a full sized one will be piloted by a person rather than by remote.

The team first plan to launch the hoverbike as an unmanned vehicle before securing an aviation certificate for a manned model.

 

[HMS Astute]

THE WORLD'S FAST FLYING BIKE

 

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TEWKESBURY –Garry Mills, chairman of the Royal British Legion Gloucester Branch hosted a Joint Angolo German Concert that featured the Trumpeters of the Band of the Life Guards and Marinemusikkorps Ostee-Symphonic Band Wednesday 27, 2014. The RBL is the UK's leading Armed Forces charity that provides emotional and financial support to all members of the British Armed Forces past and present, and their families.

More than 190 guests came out to celebrate with Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) US contingent to enjoy games, food and fun. Everyone got a tutoring session on some US history and some enjoyed watching the 50 states appear across the screen and the things that represented them.

 

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Exercise ARRCADE BRIEF 14 was held at Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps on Thursday 26 June 2014 in the Imjin Briefing Centre, Imjin Barracks, Innsworth, UK. This year the exercise focused on gender awareness, aiming to highlight the issue of gender when planning for operations.

Multinational Staff of Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps gathered together today to say farewell to its staff from Spain and Poland honouring their service, and reaffirming their continued friendship as NATO partners.

Personnel from the Regular Army, Reserves of both the RAF and Army, and numerous cadets organisations as well as veterans took part in the Drum Head Service at College Green. The troops then marched through Gloucester to the Docks where the crowds had the opportunity to talk with past and present members of the military community.

Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) are currently deployed at RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, to conduct a major training exercise. Named Exercise ARRCADE FUSION 13, the training event is designed to ensure the Innsworth-based NATO headquarters continues to remain ready for any potential short-notice call-up it may receive as part of the NATO Response Force (NRF) this year.

F-15E Strike Eagles launch chaffs and flares while flying toward the Royal Air Force Holbeach bombing range, Aug. 10 to practice for the upcoming Excalibur bombing competition. Airmen from the 494th Fighter Squadron at Lakenheath, UK, are participating in the competition that was developed to foster friendly relations and showcase visual bombing skills between U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO allies.

 

[HMS Astute]

RAF Croughton houses the 422nd Air Base Group whose function is to provide installation support, services, force protection, and worldwide communications across the entire spectrum of operations. The group is located in the UK and supports NATO, US European Command, US Central Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, US Department of State operations and Ministry of Defence operations. The group sustains more than 450 C2 circuits and supports 25 percent of all European Theater to continental United States (CONUS) communications.

 

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Launch of the UK military satellite Skynet 5D Onboard Ariane Rocket in French Guiana

A Skynet 5D satellite is launched onboard an Ariane rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, South America. A new satellite which will provide secure military communications for UK Armed Forces was successfully launched. The extra lines of communication will benefit personnel deployed in Afghanistan and other parts of the world, including the Falklands, Cyprus and on ships at sea.

It is the fourth satellite of the Skynet 5 project to be put into space since 2007 under a £4bn Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programme with Astrium, who built the satellite and service providers Astrium Services. The Skynet project sustains approximately 800 jobs between the company's sites in Stevenage, Portsmouth and Corsham, Wiltshire.

When in space, Skynet 5D will travel at speeds of around 6,200 miles per hour and is expected to cover around 765 million miles during its time in orbit.

 

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British army artillery conducts 2 weeks live-fire and maneuver training at Grafenwoehr.

 

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Navy flagship HMS Bulwark leaves Plymouth to lead international exercise.​

HMS Bulwark leads major amphibious deployment. The amphibious command and control ship, carrying Royal Marines and a range of all-terrain vehicles, will be joined by recently refurbished HMS Ocean and other ships from the UK's high readiness Response Force Task Group when they join forces. The routine annual four-month deployment, named Cougar 14, includes a series of demanding amphibious and maritime-based exercises with partner nations throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East region and ensures that the task group is ready to respond to any contingency the UK Government directs upon it.

RAF A400M Atlas​

 

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NATO Summit, Wales, UK.​

 

[HMS Astute]

NATO Summit, Wales, UK.​