TwarVG
Posts: 46
Joined: 3/26/2018
From: Britannia
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It'll be tricky to provide documentation that the RAF/RN/AAC never procured a particular system but I'll do my best to address each point.
Apache Guardian AH.Mk.2
AGM-114L - I tend to keep up to date with news on the equipment acquisitions by the British Armed Forces and have read Ed Macy's books 'Apache' and 'Hellfire' and there are only ever mentions of laser guided variants of the Hellfire being used, radar guided variants don't meet ROE requirements of having a 'man-in-the-loop' to abort a strike in process. A requirement that led to the development of the Dual-Mode Brimstone variant. I suppose it's entirely possible that this variant has been acquired, but I can't find any information to suggest it has.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110601002618/http://www.mbda-systems.com/mbda/site/ref/scripts/EN_DUAL-MODE-BRIMSTONE_416.html
Brimstone 2 - Brimstone 2 was flight tested and fired from a Boeing AH-64E test bed helicopter back in 2016 on behalf of, and funded by, the MoD to test how risky integration would be and the trials were very successful. The British Army are yet to actually confirm that Brimstone has been selected for the Future Attack Helicopter Weapon (FAHW) so this is more of a near future best guess, but it would make sense given the low risk integration and how much easier it would be on inter-service logistics when operating from the same bases/ships. If the UK is ever going to integrate it onto the Apache, it'll likely be immediately following the AH-64E refurbishments of the existing fleet. The best I've got for a 25 mile range is Wikipedia's specifications info box on the Brimstone article I'm afraid so I've not got much there.
https://www.mbda-systems.com/press-releases/mbda-demonstrates-brimstone-missile-live-firing-from-apache-helicopter/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brimstone_(missile)
AIM-92E Stinger ATAS - The UK has never expressed an interest in the AIM-92E so I can only assume it was added in a hurry in line with the American AH-64E variants in the database. The MoD vaguely mulled over the idea of integrating the Starstreak onto Apaches but it never went anywhere as there was no requirement or demand for an air-to-air missile. Again, I have no documentation to prove they don't have it, but you won't find any proving they do and nobody has ever made mention of a British Apache equipped in such a manner.
HYDRA 70 and CRV-7 - Although Wikipedia claims that the UK is an operator of the HYDRA 70, I've never seen or found any record of a British aircraft employing the weapon. During WW2 and the early Cold War period, British aircraft carried the 3-inch RP-3 rocket. This was then replaced by the French SNEB 68mm rocket throughout much of the Cold War, and was ultimately replaced on the Jaguar, Harrier, and eventually integrated onto the Apache fleet upon its entry into service in 2005, by the Canadian CRV-7 which was judged to be superior in most aspects to its American counterpart. Given that British Apaches have happily employed the weapon for over a decade, it doesn't make much sense for them to abandon it following a refit when there are probably thousands of them in the stockpile, and I can't find anything to suggest they will.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRV7
Buccaneer S.2B
Mk18 1000lb RET Bomb - The primary air-to-ground munition of the Buccaneer was the GP 1000lb bomb. These bombs came with a variety of fuzing options, such as airburst, instantaneous, and delayed fuzing. They also came with 2 different tail assemblies which were the standard low drag, general purpose assembly, and the high drag retarded assembly. The Buccaneer absolutely personified high speed, low level bombing runs both over land and sea where high drag bombs were essential for low level delivery and not getting killed. As is typical with many British munitions, I can't find much in the way of documentation, but I do have a video of a Buccaneer pilot who was at one of the early Red Flags describing a typical attack against an airfield in a Buccaneer where he describes using retarded 1000lb bombs to execute a laydown attack against a runway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24CaLD8l0OE
Start at 7:48ish for the exact part, but I would highly recommend watching the full thing for more insight into the mighty Banana Bomber!
British General Purpose Bombs
Overview - In recent times, there have been only 2 unguided GP bombs in British service. These are the 540lb GP bomb, which does have a DB entry although only a South African and Australian Canberra are listed as default carriers, and the more common 1000lb GP bomb. Both of these bombs came with multiple fuzing options and tail assemblies which I listed in the above paragraph with the 540lb bomb simply being a scaled down version of the 1000lb. Every British aircraft since the Buccaneer has carried the 1000lb bomb, including the Typhoon as they're largely used for training purposes these days with inert warheads. However, the only aircraft that I know definitely carried the 540lb bomb are the RAF Harriers and Jaguars. In James Barrington's book 'Joint Force Harrier' he describes a typical loadout over Afghanistan for a pair of Harriers was a Sniper TGP, a Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod, 2 fuel tanks, a pair of 19-shot CRV-7 rocket pods each, a pair of Paveway IV LGBs on one aircraft, and a pair of 540lb GP bombs set to airburst on the other to get around the heavy restrictions on using cluster munitions but still maintaining an AOE weapon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General-purpose_bomb#Modern_British_GP_bombs
https://slideplayer.com/slide/4665910/15/images/19/1000lb+General+Purpose+Bomb.jpg
https://images.slideplayer.com/38/10779620/slides/slide_7.jpg
https://defenceoftherealm.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/5.jpg
540lb GP Bomb - As mentioned above, high and low drag versions of the 540lb bomb would be welcome additions to all of the Harrier and Jaguar entries.
Lightning II
JDAMs - The UK has never operated any JDAM variant because the UK does not use any of the Mk82/83/84 GP bombs and has Enhanced Paveway variants for each class of bomb operated, providing both GPS and laser guidance.
CPU-123 Paveway II GPS/LGB - This is the correct 1000lb class guided munition for RAF/FAA aircraft. I can't find any documentation 'proving' that it's slated for integration, but it isn't part of the initial weapons package and there's no reason why they wouldn't add it later on along with other weapons like Meteor considering how low risk it would be.
GBU-24E/B Paveway III GPS/LGB [BLU-109A/B] - Once again, this is the correct 2000lb class weapon operated by the UK with the penetration warhead. I can't actually find anything about integration onto the Lightning, but seeing as there was already a 2000lb bomb in the way of the GBU-31 in its loadout, I thought it fitting to change it to a weapon actually operated by the UK. It's entirely up to you whether to add it or not.
Poseidon MRA.1
Mk50 and Mk54 HAAWC - So far the RAF has committed to purchasing American weapons and other consumables for the Poseidon MRA.1 fleet in order to speed up the type's entry into service, whilst British weapons, sonobouys, decoys etc. are to be considered for a later date. So far these are only the standard Mk54 Mod 0 LWT, no mention of the Mk50 or the wing kit.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-purchase-mk54-lightweight-torpedo-array-kits-destined-p-8-poseidon/
Protector RG.1
Brimstone 2 - When the UK first acquired a fleet of RPAS they were rushed into service and pooled with American assets in order to speed up their entry into service. As such, American weapons such as Hellfire and GBU-12, which were already cleared for use, were used in order to increase commonality between the British and American platforms and avoid integration time and costs for British weapons. Now that the UK's own fleet of RPAS is rapidly growing, with up to 20 Protectors to be purchased alongside the existing fleet of 10 Reapers which will eventually be phased out, and with the US not purchasing Protector as of yet, there's no reason to maintain so much interchangeability with the USAF fleet. There's also no rush to get these aircraft in service so the time can be taken to integrate British weapons onto the aircraft and ideally start to phase the Hellfire out of Army and Air Force service and replace it with Brimstone in all 3 services.
https://www.mbda-systems.com/press-releases/brimstone-missile-to-be-integrated-onto-rafs-protector-rg-mk1-aircraft/
Paveway IV - No documentation for this one aside from promo imgaes, but I imagine for much the same reasons Brimstone will replace Hellfire on British aircraft, Paveway IV will be integrated onto the Protector fleet instead of GBU-12s now that they're less reliant on American integration and have a broader time frame to complete it on.
GBU-49/B Paveway II GPS/LGB - I can't seem to find any documentation to suggest that the UK acquired GBU-49s over the old GBU-12s. Every picture of an RAF Reaper I can find where it's armed with bombs it shows a GBU-12. The GBU-49s have a distinct grey vein or pipe? running down the right hand side of the weapon which none of the bombs on the RAF Reapers seem to have.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/19/raf-reaper-drones-used-airstrike-killed-syrian-government-troops#img-1
Hardpoints - All promotional images and descriptions of the Protector RG.1 system state that it has 6 underwing hardpoints, each capable of sustaining a triplet of Brimstone 2 missiles. Some also show a pair of Paveway IV on the inner pylons.
https://www.defenceonline.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/New-Protector-RG-Mk.1-to-undertake-historic-trans-Atlantic-flight.jpg
Typhoon FGR.4/T.3
GBU-24E/B Paveway III GPS/LGB [BLU-109A/B] - The Paveway III LGB and subsequent Enhanced Paveway III GPS/LGB have been in service with the RAF since at least the first Gulf War, and was one of the original weapons added to Typhoon when she was given air-to-ground capabilities and was first used by a Typhoon during Operation Ellamy in Libya in 2011. The RAF to my knowledge does not operate a GP 2000lb weapon, only a penetrating one.
https://www.defencetalk.com/raf-deploys-enhanced-paveway-iii-for-libya-operations-34553/
Brite Cloud Active Expendable Decoy - The UK has recently trialled and is beginning to enter the Brite Cloud decoy onto the Typhoon fleet using the existing 55mm counter measure dispensers.
https://www.janes.com/article/85668/britecloud-decoy-set-for-typhoon-integration
Type 45 Destroyer
324mm Twin Torpedo Tubes - The Type 45 was never fitted with torpedo tubes and instead relies on its helicopter for ASW purposes. Not entirely sure why it was added in the first place, minor oversight I assume.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_45_destroyer#Anti-ship,_submarine_and_land-attack
RGM-84L Harpoon II - The Harpoon launchers fitted to the Type 45s are recycled launchers from the old batch 3 Type 22 Frigates which were removed upon their decommissioning and draw missiles from the same stockpile as the Type 23 Frigates, Block 1C missiles which were first acquired in the 1980s to eventually replace Exocet. Upgraded Harpoons have not been acquired and current stocks are set to go out of service in 2023.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/168344/response/416866/attach/html/3/20130807%2011%2007%202013%20095342%20001%20Response%20Dainton%20weapons.pdf.html
https://www.janes.com/article/82025/uk-considers-options-for-possible-off-the-shelf-harpoon-replacement
Batch 1 and 2 Ships - There are no Batch 1 and Batch 2 Type 45 Destroyers, 6 ships of the class were built to identical standards with the only difference being that 2 of the ships aren't equipped with Harpoon, which is usually the ones in port undergoing maintenance. Only 2 entries are needed as of present, the existing 2012 version without Harpoon, and the 2015 version with it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_45_destroyer#Ships_in_the_class
Paveway IV - As per the latest DB update, most of the guided bombs had their release parameters changed to allow drops at 2000ft and above, the Paveway IV is still restricted to 10000ft and above.
Well, this has taken me many hours of dredging through the depths of the internet to find as much info as I can, I hope it was worth it! Hopefully it's enough to get at least some of my changes through, if you have a problem with any them give me a shout and I'll have another crack at digging up some dirt. Thanks very much for the hard work you do Wayne, it's very much appreciated!
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