April 2012 Issue 47 desthe magazine for defenceider equipment and support Refuelling the Navy’s global reach Why DE&S staff are probing a World War Two shipwreck See inside Dockyard Helmet system Look smart, Packaging up Astute’s transformation proves a hit be smart! welfare powerplay 853_teamSSAFA_RideBritain_AD_DESider.pdf 1 16/03/2012 12:45 853_teamSSAFA_RideBritain_AD_DESider.pdf 1 16/03/2012 12:45 FEATURES 17 18 Recycling closes the final chapter Recycling of the former Royal Navy aircraft carrier Invincible has been completed by the Turkish contractors inside ten months. Invincible left Portsmouth last spring for recycling by the Turkish company Leyal Ship Recycling, one of Turkey's leading ship recycling companies near Izmir on the Aegean coast 20 DE&S probes secrets of the deep Members of DE&S' Salvage and Marine Operations team will be hard at work on the island of St Helena from later this month examining the wreck of a tanker which was sunk by a German U-boat during World War Two. RFA Darkdale was Picture courtesy Services BMT Defence of the first British ship sunk south of the equator during the war as she was hit by four torpedoes in the early hours of 22 October, 1941. 22 Open procurement is the way forward The Government's White Paper in February obliges DE&S to seek out what the global market has to offer UK Forces cover image in cutting edge, high quality kit, getting the best return for 2012 Signing of the £452 million Military Afloat Reach and the UK taxpayer. But British companies should not fear this Sustainability Tanker contract has been described competition, says Minister for Defence Equipment, Support as a dream by officials of the company – Daewoo and Technology Peter Luff Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering – who will be APRIL building the ships in a yard in South Korea. desider NEWS Assistant Head, Public Relations: Ralph Dunn - 9352 30257 or 0117 9130257 5 ‘Awesome’, says user of his kit [email protected] HMS Astute has returned to Clyde after her latest set of trials with her commanding officer saluting Deputy Editor: her 'awesome capability' Steve Moore - 9352 30537 or 0117 9130537 [email protected] 6 Sentinel’s early return boosts capability The first Sentinel surveillance aircraft has now been Distribution Manager: brought up to the same standard as the rest of the Dick Naughton - 9352 34342 or 0117 9134342 fleet to increase the RAF's ISTAR capability [email protected] 8 Welfare to come neatly packaged Advertising: A cabin to house telephones, welfare Anthon Linton – Ten Alps Publishing, 1 New Oxford communications equipment and personal Street, High Holborn, London WC1A 1NU computers on the front line has passed Tel: +44 (0)20 7657 1819. transportable trials Fax: +44 (0)207 7379 7155 [email protected] 11 Look smart, be smart The crew of Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring is trialling a new combat uniform while the ship is on Printing: counter-piracy operations 13 Ship pioneers upgrade programme HMS Chiddingfold is undergoing a mid-life upgrade in Portsmouth, the first of class for this desider is distributed free of charge to DE&S employees and the equipment capability sponsor. Copies can also type of project be made available to readers outside the MOD, including those in the defence industries. While the editor takes 14 Now Prince of Wales takes a bow care to ensure all material produced is accurate, no The bow section of Prince of Wales, the second of liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Views the new aircraft carriers, has been welcomed to expressed in desider, and the products and services Rosyth where the ships are being assembled advertised, are not necessarily endorsed by DE&S or the MOD. All content for advertorials must be cleared by the 15 MOD means business, with Serco help relevant MOD project team before publication. Serco has been announced as the commercial partner to help improve business services in the © Crown Copyright MOD This magazine is produced on Cocoon 16 Announcing your arrival Silk 90gsm which contains 50 per UK troops will soon be equipped with new cent recycled and de-inked pulp from loudhailers to communicate more clearly with local post consumer waste and Forest people in operational areas Stewardship Council certified material from well-managed forests. Insider Bernard Gray Olympic air Chief of Defence Materiel security is ‘The Materiel Strategy Interim put to the test Structure will rebalance resources UK ARMED Forces aircraft and to achieve the manpower reductions personnel took part in the latest training we have to make while enabling us exercise for their vital role providing air security for the Olympic Games. to continue to operate effectively’ Exercise Taurus Mountain 3 put airmen, soldiers and sailors through their paces in the skies over north Yorkshire, detecting and intercepting aircraft that intrude into restricted airspace. The Air Security Plan for the I know you will be well aware that for new Royal Fleet Auxiliary Olympic Games builds on the RAF’s work on The Materiel Strategy is tankers. existing defence of UK airspace. continuing to go forward, as we This project fits in well The exercise integrated additional develop and flesh out the options with the recently published forces to ensure the safety of the for the future management of White Paper ‘National Security Olympics. These included RAF Puma DE&S. This work is focusing on Through Technology’ in which aircraft together with Royal Navy and the options for increasing the role the Government’s preference for Army Lynx helicopters carrying teams of the private sector in DE&S, as fulfilling the UK’s defence and of RAF Regiment snipers to intercept set out by the Secretary of State security requirements through aircraft in restricted airspace, and in his statement to Parliament open competition in the domestic airborne surveillance aircraft including on Defence Transformation on and global market was clearly Royal Navy Sea King and RAF E-3D 1 March. These options will be set out. Sentry aircraft. developed and tested further in The plan to buy an eighth C-17 On the ground, the RAF is providing additional mobile ground radar the coming months, and I will was announced by the Prime systems, while the Army is deploying update you as thinking matures. Minister on 8 February and the air observers and Rapier and Starstreak I’ve spoken at a recent C-17 negotiating team was in missile systems. town hall briefing about our the US within days to agree the Military activity, including the Air work on The Materiel Strategy final terms and conditions. Due Security Plan, supports the overall Interim Structure. This work to their hard work – which built police operation, so the exercise was a will rebalance resources to upon a commendable amount of chance for police and military to learn achieve, in a coherent way, the preliminary work undertaken more about how the other operates. manpower reductions we have over the Christmas period – we Air Commodore Gary Waterfall, the to make as part of the Strategic were able to have the contract Deputy Air Component Commander, Defence and Security Review, signed and agreed with the said: “While there is no specific threat while enabling us to continue to delivery date of the aircraft to the Games, we have to be ready for operate effectively. As this work finalised within a month of the whatever occurs and play our part in continues, you will be kept fully Prime Minister’s announcement. what will be a safe and secure Olympics informed. This is a prime example of for all to enjoy. Alongside these pieces of a pure Military Off The Shelf “Our multi-layered security plan means we have a range of responses work, the constant focus of (MOTS) purchase. In this case available to us, ensuring we can deal DE&S on the support of current we have contracted for a US appropriately with anything from and future operations continues Air Force (USAF) aircraft in the redirecting an aircraft that may have unchanged. I was very pleased very final stages of production, strayed into restricted airspace to to see progress last month on thereby achieving an early preventing an attack.” two very important equipment delivery date. In turn we pay for a programmes – those for four USAF replacement aircraft at the Armed Forces units taking part in the Military Afloat Reach and end of the production line. exercise included: Sustainability (MARS) Tankers The fact that RAF C-17 aircraft o Typhoon jets from RAF Coningsby. and for the eighth C-17 transport maintain strict configuration o Puma helicopters from RAF Benson with aircraft. commonality with their USAF sniper teams from the RAF Regiment at RAF They represent two very counterparts is a key enabler Honington. different types of contracting, in delivering such agile o Royal Navy Lynx helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton. but both may be helpful pointers procurement to meet urgent o Royal Navy Sea King ASaC helicopters towards some of the work operational needs. Procuring from RNAS Culdrose. that DE&S may be doing in the C-17 on a pure MOTS basis also o Grob Tutor aircraft from RAF Leeming. future. One was an international delivers a range of other benefits o Sentry E-3D aircraft from RAF competition and the other was an including huge economies of Waddington, Lincolnshire. o Air Surveillance and Control System off-the-shelf purchase. scale in support by leveraging (ground-based radar), from RAF Boulmer. For the MARS Tankers, off the very large USAF C-17 o 1 Air Control Centre (ground-based the Afloat Support team ran a programme.