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Interview by Harry Newton, captain 1st rank, the UK diplomatic military attache for Maritime Parade magazine.

Two years passed after our last meeting. What new Royal Navy surface ships and submarines were put into service ?

At our last meeting I spoke about the new Type 45 class of destroyers which will serve the Royal Navy into the middle of this century. The first of these, HMS DARING, was accepted into the Fleet in December last year and is currently undergoing sea trials. It is expected that she will be commissioned in 2010. A second ship, HMS DAUNTLESS, is also undergoing trials, while four others are at various stages of construction. There are plans to order a further two bringing the total number in class up to eight. These ships will be the largest and most powerful air defence destroyers ever operated by the Royal Navy, able to protect UK and allied/coalition forces at sea against the full range of enemy aircraft and anti-ship missiles, and also able to operate close inshore, giving air cover to British Forces engaged in the land battle. They will undertake a wide range of defence tasks around the globe supporting civil authorities in the UK and abroad through maritime security operations, while being maintained at high readiness to respond with humanitarian aid or civilian evacuation operations.

HMS ASTUTE, the first of class of a new series of SSNs, was launched in 2007 and handed over to the Royal Navy last year. Her sister submarine, HMS AMBUSH, is due to be launched later this month, and there are firm plans to build a total of seven of these vessels, which will be the largest and most powerful nuclear attack submarines ever built for the Royal Navy. They represent a step change in the Royal Navy's concept of submarine operations, with operations in direct support of surface forces becoming increasingly important. The SSN’s stealth is a key attribute, allowing it to operate covertly, with little risk of counter-detection, providing strategic and operational flexibility. The ASTUTE-class design extends the current SSN capacity to fully exploit the underwater environment, including littoral waters, allowing it to integrate even more closely with other joint forces to deliver a range of effects, some far inshore

Could you tell us about any new kinds of military weapons and equipment appeared for the last two years ?

The main armament of the Type 45 class will be the Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS), which was developed and procured jointly with France and Italy. This system will equip the vessel to defend itself and other ships in company from attack by existing and future anti-ship missiles of all types. The system is designed to defend against supersonic, stealthy, highly manoeuvrable missiles that could use sea-skimming for steep-diving flight profiles approaching in salvoes, simultaneously from several directions. It incorporates the Aster missile and the SAMPSON multi-function phased array radar. The latter combines the roles of surveillance and tracking in a single system, and has sophisticated anti-jamming capability. Built by BAe Systems, it has been described as the most advanced radar in the world, but BAES consider it not as the end of a journey but the beginning of the next stage, with potential for further development in the coming decades.

Looking further ahead, contracts have been placed for the manufacture of two new aircraft carriers, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES, which are expected to enter the Fleet in the next decade. Contracts have also been placed for Artisan, a new, 3 dimensional maritime medium-range radar which will be fitted to the new carriers, amphibious shipping and refitted Type 23s, and which will be built in Britain. New Rolls Royce engines will be acquired for the entire Sea King helicopter fleet, and a next-generation precision guided bomb, Paveway IV, able to hit targets night and day and in all weathers has entered service with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.

At the moment, we are expecting ST. Albans frigate of the Royal Navy to take part in IMDS-2009. What can you say about that ship ?

HMS ST ALBANS is the newest of the Type 23 or 'DUKE' class frigates, which form 50% of the total frigate/destroyer force in the Royal Navy. Originally designed for anti-submarine warfare, they have evolved into powerful and versatile multi purpose ships with the capability to operate anywhere in the world. The effectiveness of these ships is enhanced by their stealth design, which reduces their radar signature significantly. In addition to the war fighting roles described above, the ship is trained to conduct a wide range of other tasks. These include embargo operations using boarding teams inserted from the ship's boats or helicopter, disaster relief work and surveillance operations.

This is HMS ST ALBANS's second visit to St Petersburg. She last visited in July 2003 to join in the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Baltic Fleet and of the city of St Petersburg. I know that her Commanding Officer and ship's company are eagerly looking forward to this opportunity to renew ties with the city.

The Royal Navy delegation is a traditional IMDS participant since 2003. Is it known who will be members of the delegation this year ? What, in your opinion, could be of the highest interest for the RN delegation at IMDS-2009 ?

This year the head of the British delegation to IMDS is Commodore Mike Mansergh, the Commodore of the Portsmouth Flotilla, which includes HMS ST ALBANS. He and his team are looking forward to representing the United Kingdom at this prestigious event and are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see Russia's impressive surface combatants 'Yaroslavl Mudry' and 'Steregushiy', as well as the chance to meet members of Russian industry, many of whom are world leaders in their respective fields. With the presence of HMS ST ALBANS and the hosting of the event in the beautiful city of St Petersburg, IMDS-09 promises to be a memorable experience for all those involved in the UK delegation.

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