영국, 국방비 절감을 위해 군함과 UAV, 헬기 퇴역

[위종민]

영국의 존 힐리 국방부장관이 HMS 알비온과 HMS 불워크, 23식 호위함 HMS 노섬벌랜드, 웨이브급 유류보급함 2척,  2014년 아프간에 투입된 뒤 거의 활용되지 않은 와치키퍼 UAV 46대, CH-47 헬리콥터 14대와 푸마 헬기 17대를 퇴역시킨다고 합니다. 이를 통해  향후 5년 동안 5억파운드의 비용을 절감할 수 있다고 하네요. 

CH-47은 2027년부터 대체헬기가 도입될 예정이지만, 푸마를 대체할 NMH 사업은 레오나르도의 단독 입찰로 사업 계속 여부가 불투명한 상태입니다. 

UK makes sweeping defense cuts, doing away with several warships, scores of helicopters and drones - Breaking Defense

UK makes sweeping defense cuts, doing away with several warships, scores of helicopters and drones - Breaking Defense

UK makes sweeping defense cuts, doing away with several warships, scores of helicopters and drones

The surprising move, announced in parliament today by UK defense chief John Healey, will generate savings of £500 million ($632 million) over the next five years, he said, and get rid of "outdated capabilities." But it also drew immediate criticism from opposition party lawmakers.

By   Tim Martinon November 20, 2024 at 12:14 PM

The UK has announced it will scrap a fleet of British Army Watchkeeper drones (UK MoD)

BELFAST — In a surprise announcement, the UK has said it will scrap five warships, 31 helicopters and a fleet of 46 intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) drones.

The move, announced in parliament today by UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, will generate savings of £500 million ($632 million) over the next five years, he said, and get rid of “outdated capabilities.” But it also drew immediate criticism from opposition party lawmakers.

The cuts are “all backed” by service chiefs and were made in consultation with personnel involved in the UK’s strategic defense review — set to release results of equipment planning and strategic thinking in mid-2025. “Allies have been informed and we have constant dialogue with NATO,” added Healey.

On the naval side, two amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, will be withdrawn from service at the end of the year. Healey suggested the vessels had been “effectively retired by previous ministers, but superficially kept on the books,” at a cost of £9 million a year.

The Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland will be axed because of “structural damage that makes her simply uneconomical to repair,” he noted, alongside two Wave-Class tankers, “neither of which has been to sea for years.”

Elsewhere, the British Army’s Watchkeeper drone fleet will be retired, a fate that follows years of delays, cost overruns and a series of test and operational crashes. As of September 2022, the UK had spent £1.31 billion on the program, according to a lawmaker statement. Watchkeeper initially entered service in 2014, supporting Afghanistan force protection efforts, but has not been involved in military operations since. The aircraft was deployed in 2020 over the English channel in a surveillance capacity to monitor migrant boats.

A total of 14 CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters, including “some” that have been in service for 35 years, will be retired, in parallel with 17 Puma multirole rotorcraft. The Pumas had been due to be replaced under the £1 billion New Medium Helicopter (NMH) acquisition, but that plan was thrown into disarray in August after Lockheed Martin and Airbus walked away without submitting bids, leaving Leonardo as the last competitor standing.

The phasing out of older Chinooks is a different matter because they are set to be replaced with new H-47ER (Extended Range) platforms beginning in 2027.

“The UK is the only nation to be provided access to this class-leading heavy-lift helicopter capability outside of the US,” said Grant Shapps, former UK defence secretary, in March.

Healey revealed that in all, the new cuts “are set to save the MoD £150 million over the next two years, and up to £500 million over five years, savings that will be retained in full in defense.”

Reacting to the changes, Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, a British defense think tank, said in a statement, “These are mostly capabilities that are approaching retirement anyway, have been at low levels of readiness or aren’t worth further refits or investment (Watchkeeper is probably obsolete).”

RecommendedArmy picks Red Cat’s small quadcopter for 2nd Short-Range Reconnaissance tranche

The service and company are expected to ink a deal by the end of the year.

By Ashley Roque

“But the fact that Defence either can’t crew them, or is prepared to cut them to make very modest savings over five years in the current international environment is an indication of just how tight resources must be in the MOD right now,” he added. “In particular, the Defence Review will be under pressure to set out the future role of the Royal Marines; how the Navy will bring into service and sustain more escorts, which are the workhorses of the fleet; and the impact upon helicopter capacity and procurement.”

L-15 HMS 불워크

L14 HMS 알비온

F238 HMS 노섬벌랜드

[Minowski(김유철)]

이런 와중에도 UKR에 지원한 스톰쉐도우가 러시아 본토를 공격하는 상황이고... 독일이 지금 기조를 계속 유지한다면 영국하고 프랑스가 더 공급해줘야하는 상황일텐데...

[백선호]

Albion, Bulwark는 20년 정도 된 배들인데 벌써...

아래는 1997년의 Albion 상상도입니다.

https://web.archive.org/web/19970412173324/http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/lpd/lpd1.html

On 18th July 1996, Michael Portillo, Secretary of State for Defence, announced a £450 million order with Vicker's Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, VSEL, part of GEC Marine for two new amphibious warfare ships known as Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) for the Royal Navy.

[위종민]

이렇게 골키퍼 CIWS 운용함정이 사라져가나~ 싶었는데 2017년에 팰렁스로 갈아끼웠었네요.

[사처포(곽명기)]

영국 육군의 UAV, 증말 몬생겼네요.
날라다니는 벵기가 아니라 1,000mm 포에서 발사된 포탄 느낌. ㅋ ㅋ
머 영길리의 마스콧 '불독'을 밈 했다고 하면 --- 꺼득 끄득...