Latest British Tec

what is the latest british tec to leave the design and drawing board
and into production?

Nuclear sub
Starstreak (well not that new)

whats the knewest gear we have?



[edit on 18-6-2007 by bodrul]

At a guess, RAM-coated stealth teapotsfor Nimrod crews...the enemy will never know when we're away from the anti-sub monitoring radars to sit down for [classified]-ses

Shall I be mother?



[edit on 18-6-2007 by citizen smith]

Good God, don't let it be Starstreak! My brothers' A-Level physics teacher was one of the design team for the starstreak guidance system before she bacame a teacher. My brother was 17 at the time. He's 28 now.

At platoon level we have loads of new NV optics and stuff,but I'm not sure how much of it is British made. My best guess would be the BOWMAN Communications System. It provides integral GPS etc, and allows for worldwide comms as part of a larger overall system.

As a system it is leaps and bounds in front of the CLANSMAN system it replaces, but is not perfect. Some have said that BOWMAN should stand for Better Off With Map And Nokia!

Originally posted by PaddyInf
Good God, don't let it be Starstreak! My brothers' A-Level physics teacher was one of the design team for the starstreak guidance system before she bacame a teacher. My brother was 17 at the time. He's 28 now.

At platoon level we have loads of new NV optics and stuff,but I'm not sure how much of it is British made. My best guess would be the BOWMAN Communications System. It provides integral GPS etc, and allows for worldwide comms as part of a larger overall system.

As a system it is leaps and bounds in front of the CLANSMAN system it replaces, but is not perfect. Some have said that BOWMAN should stand for Better Off With Map And Nokia!

Ah Paddy...........that really had me clutching my sides.

3 guys in the unit I work for, have just completed their Bowman courses and the tales they tell! Just makes me glad I am no longer in.

I mean.....fancy coating a radio system with a chemical agent resistent paint that could kill you if you licked it.

Imagine the scenario. Troops in the middle of a contact at Sangrin asking for CAP then having to wash his hands before he touches anything or anybody else! Ludicrus!

A question for you and Saint, Paddy. Do you know of anybody who religously wash their hands before eating, drinking, smoking or after a piddle or having taken a dump?

Do you think that Bowman will have a side effect, in that hygene standards at the front line will increase?

I don't think that the pain is quite that toxic! The Health & Safety Nazis would have a fit if it was. Still I wouldn't suggest licking the set.

However, as a side note the hygiene standards are being pressed at the front, but this is probably more due to acinetobacter, a nasty little bug that is highly infectious messes with your digestive system and wound healing and is present in large amounts in the soil in the middle east. Loads of the boys have been CASEVACd from theatre with this and various other bugs.

Yeah, well. I was only repeating what they told me, Paddy. I mean, if it were that toxic, why paint it with the stuff in the first place?

Curious about the little bug you mention. I simply had no idea that there was any medical danger to you guys serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I did some research and asked my aunt who is ex- QARANC and she said that it is indeed a very virulent little bug.

According to the HPA, it has the ability to colonise the skin but only on very healthy people - which is something of a surprise.

Paddy, you say it is found in the soil, but my research says it can be found in water. Do you guys solely rely on bottled water, or are you able to get filtration systems up and running in base areas?

We do get filters up, but we do rely on bottled water when possible. We avoid local water sources.

As for acinetobacter, it is definately found in the soil, although it also reproduces in wet environments. Pretty much every burned casualty comes home with it, as the first instinct is to stop, drop and roll in the dirt. Due to the nature of burns, the casualty becomes infected with just about everything living in the environment.

I would question the source that stated that it was only present in healthy subjects. Many of the cases in the UK have been in the elderly and unwell, and has been a factor in numerous deaths in immunocompromised patients. I have found this source to be fairly comprehensive for referrence. (In case you're wondering I've been getting back into research for my Return to Clinical Practice course for when I leave the Army - going back into nursing believe it or not )

edited because I forgot to insert the source

[edit on 21-6-2007 by PaddyInf]

Originally posted by PaddyInf I would question the source that stated that it was only present in healthy subjects. [edit on 21-6-2007 by PaddyInf]

Yeah, sorry Paddy. I should have said who HPA were and provided a link. All my fault. Just goes to prove that at my age - soon to be 55, I am getting too old.

The HPA are the 'Health Protection Agency and for those of you who don't do links, they say:

Acinetobacter is a Gram-negative bacterium that is readily found throughout the environment including drinking and surface waters, soil, sewage and various types of foods. Acinetobacter is also commonly found as a harmless coloniser on the skin of healthy people and usually poses very few risks.

Here's the link: w.hpa.org.uk

Very interesting and Paddy, I can see why it would be a major problems with burns victims.

Just out of interest mate, what medaid kit do you guys carry? I only ask 'cause I was an AA1 with SJA and used to do ambulance shifts for Avon/Somerset (Bristol) and Gloucester AHA's.

Each squaddy has a couple of FFDs or HemCon dressings, depending on what is issued in theatre. We also have a Combat Application Tounaquet (CAT) and 2 autojets of 10mg IM morphine. Section madic has a few more of the above, plus an asherman chest seal or two.

Patrol medics from RAMC/QARANC will have more advanced kit like chest drains, trachy kits, IV fluids, various airway adjuncts etc.