Further memorandum from the Ministry of
Defence
Further information requested following the
evidence session with Admiral Sir Alan West GCB, DSC, ADC, First
Sea Lord on 24 November 2004.[10]
Q525-9 Information on progress consideration
of whether to fit Type 45 destroyers with a larger gun capable
of firing more sophisticated guided ammunition and the timescale
for decisions on this issue.
All six ships on contract are due to be fitted
with the 4.5" Mk Mod 1 Medium Range Gun. A number of options
have been looked at in the past (the Land Attack Lethality Study
and the Surface Target Engagement Balance of Investment Study),
but alternative solutions have always been too expensive. At present,
MoD is investigating a proposal from BAE Royal Ordnance to "up
gun" the 4.5" to accept the 155mm barrel and breach
from the AS90. Any solution would almost certainly mean a retrofit,
but no decisions have been reached.
Q560-1 Information on progress with the
MARS programme (including confirmation of the date of new rules
regarding single hull tankers) and an update on what are the current
in-service dates for the different elements of the programme.
An important factor in the decision-making process
for MARS is the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) pollution
regulations issued in 2001, as well as the more stringent and
subsequent European Commission regulations passed in 2003. The
IMO regulations imposed a timetable for phasing out single-hulled
tankers by 2015, although the EC legislation advanced this to
2003 for vessels operating in European waters or under a European
flag. Vessels owned or operated by a state and used only on Government
non-commercial service, such as our fleet of Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Oilers, are exempt from the regulations, although it continues
to be MoD policy that, where practicable, we comply with Shipping
Acts and associated regulations. The Military Tanker and MARS
programmes will enable MoD to comply with these particular regulations.
MARS is transitioning from the Concept Phase to the Assessment
Phase, and has yet to pass Main Gate. It is too soon to announce
in-service dates at this comparatively early stage before all
the risks have been properly assessed.
Q581-84 Request for a note setting out
the processes by which the software for Royal Navy vessels is
chosen; what contracts have been let; and on what basis Windows
was chosen ahead of other packages.
Prime Contractors are responsible for ensuring
that warship requirements placed upon them by the Defence Procurement
Agency (DPA) are met. In the case of the Type 45, where BAE Systems
is the prime contractor, industry's decision to use Microsoft
Windows within combat management systems was the subject of an
independent review commissioned some while ago by the DPA. The
review concluded that a proper engineering approach had been taken,
both from a security perspective, as the Combat Management System
(CMS) middleware isolates Windows from the remainder of mission
critical systems, and from a safety perspective, as comprehensive
hardware mechanisms will be put in place when necessary to avoid
any Widows-derived compromises.
January 2005
10 Ev 75-93 Back
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