Christoph Schlegel

@FennellJW Mk41 canisters have a width of 25.12“: scribd.com/document/90580… So if something fits into Mk41, it will not automatically fit a 21“ diameter body. Hopefully, RN had TT-launch made part of the requirements for STRATUS LO. If it were too large by a few centimeters… 🤦🏼‍♂️

@FoxTwo2022 No yet, but looks very much like Storm Shadow and we know it will be compatible with Mk 41 VLS, as they will be fielded in Mk 41 on Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.

MBDA is a partnership between BAES (37.5%), Airbus (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%). It is not French. Airbus has French and German ownership, which is what this guy is talking about.

@FennellJW Yes, saw this. Would not be without irony, as Flamingo was partly funded by Germany. IMHO, this is the best summary of the situation, and the options at our disposal. H/t to @FRHoffmann1. Beggars can‘t be choosers indeed. open.substack.com/pub/missilemat…

@FoxTwo2022 dengi.ua/en/business/97…

@FennellJW Is there any information of the diameter of STRATUS LO? Any TF would have to fit the 21“ diameter of MdCN. That was parting the genius behind F107. Developed for AGM-86, they had the 21“ diameter requirement for TLAM in mind. We need to re-learn thinking across single systems.

@FoxTwo2022 An iteration using Stratus LO as the start point is probably the answer to the TLAM/MdCN replacement conundrum for Europe.

@FennellJW As the crow flies, Moscow is almost 2,000 km away from central Germany. I doubt TLAM could do that. MDTF was never about threatening Moscow, it was on dismantling Russian IAMD and C2. Also…why can‘t a truck drive to Poland or Finland? Or the Baltics? It might be a case of TINA.

@FoxTwo2022 Even so the reality is one in in the 1k km bracket and the other in the 2k km bracket. MBDA France tried to pitch MdCN to Germany for ELSA, but there is no way it can reach Moscow however good the powerpoint might be.

@FennellJW I am sure you saw the mess around withdrawn MDTF basing in Germany. And the fact that a German FMS request for 400+ TLAMs has been sitting on the shelves in Washington without any reaction for over one year now. We need quick solutions. Like, what can be ordered yesterday.

@FoxTwo2022 Yes, it would have been abackward step to go to MdCN, given its shorter range. However a replacement for TLAM is needed with 2,000km range, and that is something France, UK, Germany and others can come together around.

@ValkStrategy @Rotorfocus Yes. The driver for F-35 was to get a DCA ASAP, as you know. If it will ever become more, and whether more will be ordered, will depend on what will be on offer. And the alternatives: Primarily EF T5 w/ AMK and the „Jagdbomberdrone“. Or maybe GCAP, if and when it will arrive.

@FoxTwo2022 @Rotorfocus I would wait to see what Fort Worth will be able to deliver. I am fairly confident that Germany and other early-20s customers signed on to promises of upgrades and better operating metrics that will not be met.

Astonishing amounts of BS, reads like it was paid for by an American manufacturer…

@FennellJW The MdCN warhead is closer to the weight of the W80 of TLAM-N, which was ~130 kg. If TLAM-N went 2,500 km, but MdCN carries ~2x the amount of fuel given its longer body (6.5 m vs. 5.5 m) - the ~1,400 km range look plausible, given higher warhead mass. (2,500 km/3x2=1,667). /end

@FennellJW Both have very similar dimensions and mass - MdCN is a little longer, TLAM is a little heavier. Main difference is the turbofan in TLAM and turbojet in MdCN. Plus, a 250 kg warhead in MdCN vs. 450 kg in TLAM. The specific fuel consumption of the F107 is ~1/3 of the TR50. /2

@FennellJW TLAM has been introduced into the RN in the 1990s, on Swiftsure SSN, IIRC. That is some 20 years before MdCN IOC. These two, for the UK, where never alternative options. Might change now, as torpedo tube launched TLAMs are getting rare, and VLS on SSN AUKUS is a long way off.

@FoxTwo2022 It was a national choice for the UK to stick with TLAM, mostly due to it having double the range of MdCN, but SCALP/Storm Shadow has evolved towards FC/ASW and will MdCN will inform ELSA which by the look with involve France, Germany, UK and others.

@FennellJW Hope the contracts are such that RR can market the engine as they see fit. It it is limited to STRATUS LO, it will not enhance European autonomy and miss out on achieving economies of scale by being used on many platforms, like U.S. does with F107/112/122.

@FoxTwo2022 Rolls Royce and Safran have jointly developed the turbofan for Stratus LO, and its partially built in Germany.

@FennellJW In effect, it is easier to integrate TLAM on Swedish, Spanish, German subs than MdDN. Instead of going where the need and budget is, it is a instrument of French industrial policy. Makes the whole „strategic autonomy“ speeches sound hollow. More like „buy French“. /end

@FennellJW And of course the the selection of SCALP for CASOM in the 90ies, which paved the way for MBDA as an initially UK/French enterprise, IIRC. Here is an example of my issue: MdCN is supposedly a MBDA product. But it will only be integrated on Naval Group subs. /1

@FennellJW Same story with STRATUS. Might be done to doctrine, which is fine. What is really missing is a tool box of European components. I would love to see a small turbofan, for example. Replace the turbojet in Storm Shadow/MdCN/LCM, and the Williams P8300-15 in Taurus. Alas… /end

@FennellJW What is „sad“ about MBDA is that despite its multinational, supposedly interdependent structure, there are still distinctly national programs, with national procurement. I do lot see 🇫🇷 buying Brimstone, Spear, CAMM. But there are of course 🇫🇷 MBDA alternatives, like VL-MICA. /1

@ValkStrategy @Rotorfocus 🇩🇪 would be an obvious 2nd wave customer to top-up their order. If Airbus has their way, and „German FCAS“ becomes a Su-57 countering long-range air superiority fighter (as suggested here, for example: esut.de/2026/05/meldun…), F-35 could be the „natural“ A2G complement. Or GCAP?

You cannot hope to bribe or twist (thank God!) the British journalist. But, seeing what the man will do unbribed, there's no occasion to. Expect a lot of this because F-35 production will decline from ~2030, costs will go up even more, and there's a real risk of some early retirements as customers are faced with pricey upgrades on Mx-gluttonous mid-life jets with corrosion issues. Canada's at high risk, and other second-wave customers have to be looking at what they're actually getting vs. what they thought they were getting.

Great read on the requirements and motivations that led to the selection of FDI by Sweden, (moderate) changes to the French baseline design and why FDI would/did not for the other Scandinavian nations. Bring some time, this is a long read.

@CorporalFrisk @OAJonsson Also, putting a few LCMs, the land-based version of MdCN onto Gotland will yield much the same deterrence effect as putting them on the FDI. Depending on numbers, probably much more.

@OAJonsson The MdCN is a dedicated land-attack missile roughly on par with Tomahawk. However, as with most European weapons, the issue is cost and too small production runs (which obviously are linked).

Why did Sweden end up with the FDI, do they need a frigate at all, wouldn't buying Swedish be better, what did they change and why, and why can't the Nordics find a common frigate design? All of this, and a picture of HMS Göta Lejon, over on the blog. corporalfrisk.com/2026/05/25/a-f…

@AlexLuck9 @2805662 @MightyWar3

@2805662 @MightyWar3 Thats my photo from IODS haha. Yeah I am not sure how much recent legislation changes will impact what Japan is willing to offer for export, especially for missile systems. There's also some talk on CMS changes being a little more...complex than initially thought for AU.

Yes! Berkaca dari Australia ini batch pertamanya itu konfigurasinya mirip dengan apa yang New Mogami (06FFM) milik Jepang, langkah ini diambil buat menghindari adanya penundaan pengiriman dan pembengkakan biaya program. Bahkan ya baru-baru ini dari berita yang gw baca, kalau Australia menerima semua proposal Mitsubishi Heavy Industries terkait konfigurasi Mogami pesanan mereka. Kecuali tawaran MHI terhadap perubahan bahasa battle system dari bahasa Jepang ke Inggris. Namun, ada sedikit modifikasi pada battle system Mogami Australia untuk bisa mengakomodasi senjata yang mereka inginkan macam ESSM, torpedo Mk-54 dan NSM. Mengingat 06FFM Mogami Jepang kan pakenya itu Type-23 Chu SAM, Type-17 AShM dan Type-12 torpedo.

@DerPiepenmann Monkey Island.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade