"We should help Argentina get the Falklands back."
- From comments on the Internet.
Taking the disputed islands away from Britain will not be easy. To do this, you first have to deal with the British fleet, which in quantitative (and, more dangerous, in qualitative) aspects surpasses the navies of most countries in the world.
What is the modern Royal Navy (RN)?
Faded glory. Scraps of the great past lying on the grave of a great empire.
The answer is wrong.
The British know a lot about maritime affairs. They are the only ones who have fought at sea in the past 70 years. They got their victory in the open ocean, at a distance of 12,000 kilometers from their native shores.
The only ones who used an atomic submarine in battle (sinking of the General Belgrano cruiser by the Conquerror submarine). Apart from missile strikes on the territory of Yugoslavia and Iraq with the use of SLCM "Tomahawk". It is worth noting that the RN is the only US ally to receive this powerful and long-range tactical weapon, 30 years ahead of its time.
They cut off and carried away the sonar antenna. So quiet that at first the anti-submarine ship did not understand why the GAS went out of order (Operation Waitress in the Barents Sea, 1982; with the participation of the aforementioned nuclear submarine Conqueror).
They are the leaders in the successful interception of anti-ship missiles in combat conditions (the Gulf War, 1991, the destroyer Gloucester distinguished himself).
The British Navy is armed with the fastest helicopter (Westland Lynx, unbeaten record - 400 km / h). The first (until 2015 - the only one in the world) naval anti-aircraft complex with missiles with an active seeker (PAAMS). Their ships are powered by the most powerful gas turbines available today (Rolls-Royce MT30, 50,000 hp). And the submarines are equipped with hydroacoustics, capable of distinguishing targets on the other end of the ocean (according to the developers, “Sonar 2076” is able to hear the noise of the propellers of the liner “Queen Mary 2” at a distance of 3000 miles).
USS Queen Elizabeth
Along with the American "Ford" British "Queen" is the most "advanced" project in its class. Yielding to the American in size (65 against 100 thousand tons), the British aircraft carrier is almost superior to its ally in terms of the number of promising technologies incorporated in its design.
Two Rolls-Royce MT30 super turbines.
Original layout with front and rear superstructure.
Two radars with active phased array. Surveillance radar S1850M, capable of distinguishing targets in low-earth orbit and the Type 997 Artisan horizon tracking radar, operating in the centimeter range.
Optronic search and sighting systems.
Full electric motion.
Fully automated system for loading, storing and supplying ammunition.
In connection with the rejection of the electromagnetic catapult, "Queen" is intended for basing aircraft with a short take-off. British choice - F-35B fighter-bomber. According to the calculations of the military, it is supposed to have only 12 fighters on board (up to 24 in wartime) and a mixed squadron of helicopters.
Realizing that the F-35 will be late by the time the ship goes into service, the British are considering using the Queen as a giant helicopter carrier. With attack helicopters "Apache", tiltrotor V-22 "Osprey", military transport "Merlin" and "Chinook".
In addition, space is reserved for 250 Marines aboard the Queen Elizabeth.
What is this ridiculous ship - a non-aircraft carrier, a helicopter carrier, a landing ship or a naval radar base?.. The Queen Elizabeth design is full of controversial decisions. But it is important to understand that from the point of view of the domestic fleet, the question is simple: an aircraft carrier at the dock or an empty dock. So it is worth postponing criticism.
The British have already built an aircraft carrier. How and where to apply "Queen" - the answer will not keep you waiting long.
Air defense destroyers of the "Daring" type (in service - 6 units)
Combat core RN. The most advanced ships of their class in the world, which have become a real alternative to the American Aegis.
Air defense of squadrons is the only priority task of modern cruisers and destroyers. The British Daring have the perfect layout for this daunting task. The best detection tools available and unique weapons. Two radars with AFAR, one of which is located at the top of the 30-meter foremast. Air defense complex PAAMS-S with Aster missiles, which are equipped with active guidance heads.
Despite its specialization, "Daring" remains a versatile ship - with artillery, sonar and helicopter. According to peacetime norms, the destroyer is structurally underloaded: space is reserved on board for the installation of 12 more launch cells for the Tomahawk missile launcher, as well as space for anti-ship “Harpoons” and active self-defense equipment.
Frigates "Type 23" (in service - 13 units)
Strong 5000-ton vessels for carrying out patrols in the world's oceans. "Workhorses" of the fleet. With a long cruising range and "rapid response means" to counter possible threats: short-range anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles, artillery, helicopters.
Ships of this type were built in the 90s. They are now being replaced by the Type 26 (Global Warship, GCS). A large frigate equipped with a SeaCaptor multichannel air defense system, launchers for the Tomahawk missile system and other high-tech devices, including drones, lasers, R&R MT-30 gas turbines and elements of stealth technology. Construction of the GCS is scheduled to begin in 2016.
Submarines of the type "Astyut"
In service - 2. On sea trials - 1. In construction - 3. The last, seventh boat of this type ("Ajax") should enter service in 2024, at the moment steel cutting for its hull is underway.
"Artful" on sea trials, August 2015
British submarine terminator, claiming to be the most advanced submarine in existence. There are many secrets hidden behind the stylish angular appearance. It is reported that these are the world's most secretive nuclear-powered ships, whose sonar complex (Sonar 2076, consisting of 13,000 hydrophones) is able to track the Queen Mary 2 liner along the entire route from London to New York, while the boat itself is off the coast of Foggy Albion). 39 thousand strips of special polymer, glued on the outer surface of the case, completely absorb the radiation of enemy sonars, creating the illusion "as if this is not a 97-meter Astyut, but a baby dolphin."
As a result of joint exercises, even the Yankees wore themselves off. Their "Virginia" could not find "Astyut" and was "conditionally destroyed" in a battle with this submarine. High secrecy and high-quality hydroacoustics are a tradition of British submariners (a living example is "The Waitress", with the theft of a secret GAS right behind the stern of the ship).
"Astute" is powerful and cool. As well as his weapon - long-range homing torpedoes "Spurfish" (speed - up to 80 knots), equipped with a built-in sonar. Or the Tomahawk SLCMs, proven in battle, capable of hitting targets at a distance of 1600 km.
Astyutes are replacing the elderly Trafalgars (four multipurpose nuclear submarines built in the late 1980s, which are scheduled to be decommissioned until 2022).
Naval Strategic Nuclear Forces
Four Vanguard-class submarine missile carriers armed with the reliable Trident-2. The only difference from the American SLBMs is the thermonuclear blocks of their own, British design.
On the shores of Albion there are many supporters of the abandonment of naval nuclear forces (and nuclear forces in general, since all British nuclear weapons are located on submarines). The main argument is what four SSBNs and 64 missiles mean against the background of the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States.
On the other hand, the presence of the NSNF gives weight in the geopolitical arena and serves as a guarantor of the country's sovereignty.
Landing ships
In the ranks - 3 units. Helicopter carrier "Ocean" and a pair of transport docks for the delivery of heavy equipment (type "Albion"). In terms of their size and purpose, they are typical “mistral” barges with their own advantages and disadvantages.
These are the official numbers. Unofficial figures are different. Most of the ships in the British fleet are operated by RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary).
The Royal Auxiliary Fleet is a military organization with dual-use ships operated by civilian crews (to save on salaries, salaries and insurance).
Despite its "civilian face", RFA's technology is clearly not a joke.
For example - RFA “Argus”. 28 thousand ton helicopter carrier, also capable of performing the functions of an amphibious assault and hospital ship.
In addition to the Argus, converted from a Dutch container ship, the RFA has three specially built landing ships (in fact, Mistrals). With a flight deck, two landing craft and a cargo deck for 24 Challenger 2 tanks. To ensure their safety, "peaceful transports" are armed with six-barreled "Phalanxes" and 30 mm automatic cannons.
One of them is RFA Lime Bay
The RFA also includes eight integrated supply ships (KSS), four high-speed container ships and the Diligens floating workshop.
Military equipment aboard the RFA "Heartland Point"
With a well-developed fleet of landing and transport ships, Britain is capable of deploying its expeditionary army and navy to any theater of operations in the shortest possible time. Just like it happened in 1982.
The impregnable walls of Britain - the steel sides of its ships
Despite the colorful description of the exploits of the Royal Navy, the author of the opus is by no means an Anglophile. Like many of you, he would love to see the "superior race" at the bottom of the sea. But for this, first, preparation is required. And not promises to overcome all "with one left", hiding behind loud slogans.
With that colossal difference in the quantity and quality of military equipment, it would be at least unreasonable to dream of a “return of the Falklands”. And to hell with these islands at the end of the world!
You need to learn from these guys, and not mock the “decrepit mistress of the seas”. Moreover, no “decrepitude” was noticed there. Her Majesty's fleet is in better shape than it has been in the last 50 years.
It is compact, at the same time, sufficient for solving any urgent tasks. Well balanced and packed with the latest technology. With a clear concept of application and solid combat experience, confirming Britain's right to the status of a great maritime power.
Aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" accompanied by the destroyer "Dragon"
As for the question from the title of the article, by now the Falklands have been turned into an impregnable fortress. "Unsinkable aircraft carrier" in the middle of the endless ocean. A large air base with a three-kilometer runway has been built on the island. The Royal Air Force Typhoons stationed there will sink any ship long before it approaches the “disputed territories”.
While the armed forces of Argentina - the main and only contender for the Falklands - have completely degraded by now. But that's a completely different story …
Destroyer Daring passes Suez
RFA Wave Ruler. 31,000-tonne fast tanker, one of two new type KSS built for the British Navy in 2003
Fighter-bombers "Tornado" over the Falkland Islands
