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How to change or extend your nonimmigrant status with Form I-539If you’re a foreign national currently living in the United States on nonimmigrant visa, you’re allowed to stay in the country over the period specified in your visa—but you’ll have to file Form I-539.We and all of our authors strive to provide you with high-quality content. However, the written content on this website solely represents the views of the authors, unless otherwise specifically cited, but doesn’t represent professional financial or legal advice. As we cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the published articles or sources referenced, please use the information at your own discretion.If you’re a foreign national currently living in the United States on nonimmigrant visa, you’re allowed to stay in the country over the period specified in your visa—but you’ll have to file Form I-539, an Application to Change/Extend Nonimmigrant Status.What is Form I-539?Form I-539, also known as an Application to Change/Extend Nonimmigrant Status, is a form issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that allows foreign nationals currently living in the U.S. to request for an extension or change of visa status.This form may only be used if you wish to change to another nonimmigrant visa status. If you’d like to become a permanent resident, you may wish to file Form I-485 instead.Who may file Form I-539?Your current visa will affect your eligibility to file Form I-539. Other factors that may affect your eligibility include whether or not you’ve violated the terms of stay by working illegally or being convicted of a crime, for example. Failing to apply for an extension to your I-94 can also place your eligibility to stay in jeopardy.Exceptions for college studentsThere are exceptions for foreign national students who are in the U.S. on an F visa (in post-secondary academic institutions) and their dependents. If the Form I-94 contains “D/S” (which means “Duration of Status”) as the expiration date, which means that the visa holder may only be required to extend the underlying authorization, usually through an updated Form I-20, also known as a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status For Academic and Language Students. This is usually done only if the new Form I-20 is issued before the old Form I-20 expires.It is usually the responsibility of the Designated School Official (DSO) at the academic institution to keep the F visa student’s information up-to-date, even if the student is transferring to a different academic institution. All reporting requirements also typically go to the DSO rather than directly to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or USCIS.International students applying for Optional Practical Training (OPT) typically have to secure a new Form I-20 to show that their institution approves their OPT before they can apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by filing Form I-765 to USCIS.M visa holders and some F visa holder students who do not have “D/S” marked as the expiration date on typically have to file Form I-539 to extend their stay or when they transfer to another academic institution.Guidelines on how to complete and file Form I-539How to obtain the formYou can find a downloadable copy of the form on the USCIS website. Alternatively, you may also request for the form to be mailed to you by calling the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5289.Required documentsTo request for an extension of stay or change of nonimmigrant visa status, you may be required to submit the following:Copy of your I-94, Arrival/Departure RecordPassport copy (should be valid for the entire duration that you intend to stay in the U.S.)Copies of evidence of financial supportAn official letter explaining why you would like to extend your stay in the U.S, the reason why your stay is temporary, and the impact on an extension of your stay on your foreign employment or residencyA more detailed list of the requirements for filing Form I-539 depending on your specific nonimmigrant visa status cab be found here.How to complete Form I-539Part 1 – Basic information. This section asks for personal information such as your name, address and country of birth. Your Alien Registration Number (A-number), USCIS Online Account Number, and U.S. Social Security Number may also be requested, but you can usually leave these areas blank if you don’t have them.Part 2 – Application type. Select the appropriate box indicating the intended purpose of your application. If you have dependents (a spouse and/or children), you may include their details in your application as long as their visa status is the same as yours or if their visa status is linked to your initial application. If you are including your spouse or children, you may need to complete Form I-539A, Supplemental Information for Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.Part 3 – Processing information. This section may ask you to input the date that you would like to leave the U.S., which should fall within the maximum period granted on your visa status. If you have dependents (a spouse and/or children) and you would like to include them in your application, you may indicate this by selecting the option “yes, filed with this Form I-539” in Question 3.a.Part 4 – Additional information about the applicant. The questions found in Part 4 mostly apply to additional background information such as whether you (or any other person named in the application) are applying for an immigrant visa, been convicted of a crime or have ever violated the conditions of your current visa status.Important information when completing Form I-539You can write “N/A” for questions that don’t apply to your situation or “None” for questions that require a numeric response, unless otherwise directed.All applicants are typically required to sign Form I-539 in black ink. Typewritten or stamped signatures typically aren’t accepted. Applicants under the age of 14 may have their parent or legal guardian sign on their behalf.You may receive a Biometrics Services Appointment from USCIS, which will indicate the date and place of your appointment where your fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature will usually be taken to confirm your identity.Supporting documents should be legible photocopies unless USCIS specifies that original documents are required. If you provide original documents and they are not requested, USCIS may destroy them. If an original document is required, USCIS will generally return it to you.If any information is written in a language other than English, you must include a certified English translation to confirm that the translation is complete and accurate.If you are in the middle of removal (deportation) proceedings, consult with an immigration lawyer before filing Form I-539 as USCIS may be unlikely to issue an extension or change of status in such cases.If USCIS grants your request for an extension and you have included your family members on your application, the extension will apply for all individuals named.

That is a good question and has not been specifically addressed in any of the COVID-19 emergency laws, except that if you are a tax payer regardless of citizenship but lawfully present with a social security number you may receive the tax rebate stimulus check of up to $1200 per person, $500 per Child as filed in 2018 or 2019 tax returns as long as you receiving remuneration below the limits, the first limit is $75,000 for a single person to get 100% of this stimulus rebate.Please note that I am not an Immigration Attorney in the USA although have some knowledge and experience of navigating the US Immigration system personally and to assist with others There are many paths one could follow, but always I have had essentially the advice of a licensed attorney to support and present applications.Your case may be somewhat unique to the general rules that I outline. None of the following legal advice, as essentially at the end of your visa a non-immigrant should have left or be on their way to leave, with up to 60 days after employment may have been terminated for H1-B holders.Premium Processing and walk-in immigration office services have been suspended, but not mail-in or online services.It is not known if there are any processing such as at least getting an official receipt of any application forms are going out currently.So lets go down by type of visa :B1 or B2: A visitors visa for business or leisure/tourism/personal purposes has an expiration that was stamped and marked on the I-94, and there is no ‘flexibility’ to avoid being penalized for not leaving on or before that date. So you must file an extension to stay, the fact that you file (keep records, copies and proof of mailing and receipt) B-1 and B-2 nonimmigrants should timely submit I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (links to: I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) , which can be filed online at that link, and request the six-month maximum period of authorized extension allowed. They should also docket and reapply by filing successive "bridge" applications before the six-month period of requested status would expire, even if USCIS has not yet acted on any pending I-539 extension requests, in order to avoid unlawful-presence penalties under current USCIS policy (links to: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Laws/Memoranda/Static_Files_Memoranda/2009/revision_redesign_AFM.PDF). Also, there is a possibility that filing 30 days for ‘ Humanitarian Parole‘ or ‘Parole in Place’ status may be a route that at least puts a marker in that you state you would return to your country of origin or residence but for the fact that there are no flights or inbound passengers allowed to that country temporarily, or that you are currently COVID-19 positive and to travel or remove yourself from self-isolation would be a greater risk to the community. The details of this Parole approach follows at the end.This is also applicable to these classes of visa :A-3 – Attendants, Servants, Personal Employees of Diplomatic and Other Government Officials and Immediate FamilyE – Treaty Traders and Investors DependentsG-5 – Attendants, Servants, Personal Employees of Foreign Government Officials and Immediate FamilyH-4 – Temporary Worker DependentsK-3 and K-4 – Spouse of U.S. Citizen and Minor Child Accompanying/ Following to JoinL-2 – Intracompany Transferee DependentsM – Vocational Students and DependentsN – Parents and Children of Certain People Who Have Been Granted Special Immigrant StatusNATO-7 – Attendants, Servants, Personal Employees of NATO Representatives, Officials, Employees and Immediate Family MembersO-3 – Aliens With Extraordinary Ability DependentsP-4 – Athletes and Entertainer DependentsR-2 – Religious Worker DependentsAll “V” categories (Certain Second-Preference Beneficiaries)TD – TN DependentsEmployment-based visas- Extensions are filed on form i-129, Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (links to: Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker)E-1 or E-2 – International Traders and InvestorsH-1B, H-2A, H-2B or H-3 – Temporary WorkersL1A or L1B – Intracompany TransfereesO-1 or O-2 – Aliens of Extraordinary AbilityP-1, P-2 or P-3 – Entertainers and AthletesQ-1 – Visitors for International Cultural ExchangeR-1 – Religious WorkersTN -1 or TN-2 – Canadians and Mexicans Under NAFTAThis link has a lot of good discussion points and action items for employers: Essential COVID-19 Immigration Planning For US Employers - Immigration - United States (links to: Essential COVID-19 Immigration Planning For US Employers - Immigration - United States are more complex situations for F-1 and J-1 holders, and this may, in the case of F-1 where classes are cancelled, allow these to file for permission to work off - campus, and J-1 cases are at the mercy of their colleges and schools, but could also file the Humanitarian Parole if they want to try to keep in good standing as they cannot travel or comply with loss of immigration status http://consequences.To apply for Humanitarian Parole, or parole-in-place, you should submit:A completed Form G-325A, Biographic Information (for Deferred Action) (links to: G-325A, Biographic Information (for Deferred Action)), Biographic Information;3 passport-style photos (2” x 2” front view);A copy of your UNEXPIRED entry permit;A copy of the photo page of your valid passport; andA statement from your employer, business or trade group that you were visiting, tourism agency or family member you are visiting, or school or college indicating that you will have continued employment, training, living expenses, repatriation when possible/allowed, or evidence of your continued investor status and current attempts and situation regarding return travel to your normal country of residence. If ‘Expired’ then some indication of attempts to travel or local restrictions that you are following to prevent your movements, or a Medical Certificate or Test result showing COVID-19 infection or related medical issue.Basically, you are just asking for permission to stay until it is possible to leave, so that you would not be considered as an overstayer. This has not been tested as far as I have got from the newsletters and blogs of the immigration lawyers I am following and used to research this.Thank you for the A2A, Sohail,Update April 8 2020.There are many paths one could follow, but essentially the Visa when it expires should be by the time you exit or leave the USA, if not before, otherwise you will be disqualified from any other immigration benefit or non-immigrant temporary stay.If you are an H1-B holder and you are furloughed or terminated, the employer must file this notification of any change, or even if you are kept on reduced hours or pay, that is a change to file. Also, you should not be living too far away from the place of employment, as that is also a change. The employer is also obliged to pay for a flight back to your country of nationality, but no such award for wife/spouse, Child or Children, or Pet. You can also file for B1 status for another 6 months, which would allow you a little more time to stay to settle your affairs, but without the permission to work anywhere else. You can file to become a student, but that would mean that you had the approval and a place to study, or some studies can be work - related and allow you to still keep a valid H1-B status in pending situation.The American Immigration Lawyers association has on April 3rd 2020, in addition to the March 23 letter to the USCIS leadership, filed a lawsuit to suspend all immigration benefit deadlines for non-immigrant visa holders in the USA during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

Is there a particular “UK naval fiasco” that you want to remember? In recent times these fiascos have been more embarrassing than true disasters but you could write down the details and keep it to hand, bookmark a website that has the details.But such fiascos are minor compared to the capability of the UK’s Royal Navy.There is this from 2012Britain's £10,000,000,000 fiascoBritain has no aircraft carrier and new ones won’t be ready for years. Worse, ministers don’t even know what type of fighter will fly from themLast Monday morning Britain’s Navy — or what is left of it — seemed to have lost its rudder and started sailing in circles. Rumours were rife of yet another change of tack over plans for two expensive new aircraft carriers.Senior officials and top commanders were pressing to make a drastic change in the type of aircraft that would fly off the carriers, claimed media reports. The prime minister summoned Philip Hammond, his new defence secretary, to find out what was going on.But we have one of the world’s best submarines.https://www.naval-technology.com/features/astute-vs-virginia-best-submarine/Attack submarines, sometimes called hunter-killer submarines, are specifically designed to battle and sink enemy submarines, warships and merchant vessels. For that reason, they are smaller, quicker and stealthier than other types of submarine.Astute vs Virginia: head-to-headThe Royal Navy’s Astute class designed by BAE Systems Maritime and the US Navy’s Virginia class built by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding. Both are among the best nuclear-powered attack submarine classes in the world. We put them head-to-head in the ring on factors like size, speed, armament, technology and cost.Round 1: SizeThe Royal Navy’s Astute-class of submarines is currently the tenth-biggest submarine class in the world, with a surfaced displacement of 7,000t to7,400t, and a submerged displacement of 7,400t to 7,800t.At a length of 97m (318ft 3in) and a beam of 11.3m (37ft 1in), the Astute-class is smaller than US Navy’s Virginia class.The Virginia class has a displacement of 7,900t, making it the ninth-largest submarine when comparing all submarine variants. It is longer than the Astute class, at 115m (377ft) but also narrower – with a beam measurement of 10m (34ft).Winner: TieRound 2: Speed and enduranceThe Astute is powered by the latest Rolls-Royce pressurised water reactor (PWR 2) design, the Core H, which eliminates the need for refuelling, and means that the sub’s nuclear reactor only requires one refit instead of the traditional two refits throughout its service life.Astute has unlimited endurance and can provide unlimited air and water supply for crew members. However, the amount of provisions carried for the crew typically last up to 90 days.Meanwhile, the Virginia class uses an S9G reactor, a ninth-generation core designed by General Electric. Again, the Virginia class can go indefinitely in terms of propulsion, only limited by food and maintenance requirements.The Royal Navy’s Astute class has a top speed of 30kn (56km/h; 35m/h) when fully submerged. The Virginia class is slower, reaching speeds of around 25kn (46km/h; 29m/h).Battle of the Submarines: Akula versus VirginiaWinner: AstuteRound 3: WeaponsBeing attack submarines, both classes are naturally armed to the teeth with the latest maritime weaponry.Astute-class submarines come with six 21 in torpedo tubes capable of firing Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes. It also launches Raytheon Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles for land-attack operations. The Astute class offers storage for up to 38 weapons.The Virginia class is packed with more of a punch, incorporating 12 Tomahawk vertical launching system tubes and four 5 21 in torpedo tubes for the Mk-48 torpedo. The latest Block V boat generation incorporates the new Virginia payload module (VPM), which boosts the number of torpedoes and missiles it can carry from 37 to 65.Winner: VirginiaRound 4: EW countermeasures and sensorsThe Royal Navy’s Astute class electronic warfare (EW) array incorporates electronic support measures (ESM), sonars and decoys. The ESM system is Thales Sensors Outfit UAP(4), which has two multi-function antennae mounted on non-hull penetrating optronic masts.It also uses Eddystone Communications’ band ESM system that provides enhanced communications, signal intercept, recognition, direction-finding and monitoring.The main sonar suite is the Thales 2076 integrated passive/active search and attack sonar with bow, intercept, flank and towed capabilities, while Raytheon was contracted to provide its Successor IFF friend or foe naval transponder system.Virginia is fitted with Northrop Grumman’s AN/WLY-1 acoustic countermeasures system, which provides range and bearing data. Lockheed Martin is also developing a mast-mounted AN/BLQ-10 electronic support measure for the US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines. The AN/BLQ-10 provides full spectrum radar processing, enhanced situation assessment and an automatic threat warning system.Its sonar suite includes a range of active and passive sonars, two Kollmorgen AN/BVS-1 photonic masts instead of optical periscopes, and the Boeing long-term mine reconnaissance system and Northrop anti-submarine warfare sonar system.Winner: TieRound 5: CostWhile it is difficult to get an accurate unit cost for defence equipment, one Royal Navy Astute-class submarine was last priced at more than £1.4bn ($1.83bn), according to the UK National Audit Office’s Major Projects Report 2015.Meanwhile, the Virginia class is more expensive. The Congressional Research Service report of October 2018 priced standard Virginia-class submarines at $2.7bn, with the upgraded VPM model costing around $3.2bn per unit.Winner: AstuteFinal bellThe Astute vs Virginia contest has ended with both submarines matching each other blow-for-blow on each of the comparative measures, but on the bell, Astute edges ahead on affordabilityWe now have an aircraft carrier with planes.Watch: UK and US F-35 jets take off from HMS Queen Elizabeth together for first timeBritish and American military personnel took part in a joint military exercise off the coast of Scotland over the weekend.Footagegathered during a broadcast opportunity arranged by the British Navy shows fighter jets from UK and US forces landing and taking off from the 65,000-tonne carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. It is the last exercise before she sets sail on deployment in early 2021.Or a very capable Anti-Aircraft Warfare frigate which could do with some improvements admittedly.Improving the Type 45 DestroyerThis article will primarily review the destroyer’s current and future armament fitout. At the launch of the first T45, HMS DARING on 1 February 2006, the then First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West, declared that she would be the most capable destroyer ever possessed by the Royal Navy, as well as the world’s best air-defence ship.These are significant claims, and while there is considerable evidence that the T45s are indeed the RN’s most capable destroyers it has ever had, the assertion that they are the world’s finest air-defence destroyer is debatable, at least in their current configuration.This article was submitted to the UK Defence Journal by Kelvin Curnow. Kelvin’s particular area of interest is naval aircraft and aircraft carriers. He is a keen writer and over the past fifteen years he has had a number of articles published in different journals.NOTE: For the purpose of this article Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles (ASCMs) and Ant-Ship Missiles (AShMs) are designated by the latter nomenclature.FILE PHOTO: A Type 45 being constructed in Govan.BACKGROUNDThe lessons learned from the tragic loss of the Batch 1 Type 42 (T42) destroyers HMS SHEFFIELD and HMS COVENTRY in the Falklands war led to a very different approach when a replacement for the T42 was considered. The T42s were built in three batches. The first two batches, comprising ten ships, were followed by four Batch 3 ships which were 12 metres longer and possessed better sea-keeping qualities.The Batches 1 and 2 were cramped and this affected the number and type of weapons which could be carried. Worse still the six Batch 1 ships were equipped with the ancient Type 965 or 966 ‘double bedstead’ air search radar and the Type 992Q radar used to designate targets for the gun and missiles which lacked Moving Target Indication (MTI). Both radars therefore lacked the ability to detect moving targets at low level, or with a land mass behind them. These deficiencies led directly to the loss of two T42s and severe damage being inflicted on HMS GLASGOW.However, the situation changed when the two Batch 2 T42s, HMS CARDIFF and HMS EXETER arrived in theatre. Both were equipped with the Type 1022 L-Band, long range Surveillance, and Target Identification Radar (STIR). Most importantly the Type 1022 added a MTI capability. With the benefit of better radars and combat system EXETER shot down three Argentine aircraft and an Exocet AShM by GWS-30 Sea Dart Surface to Air Missiles (SAM).Launch of HMS Duncan on the Clyde.The latter claim was disputed. However, supporting evidence for the Exocet shoot down could come from the verified kill of a similar first generation Iraqi Silkworm AShM by a Sea Dart fired from HMS GLOUCESTER. On 23 February 1991 during the First Gulf War, the battleship USS MISSOURI, escorted by GLOUCESTER, the Type 22 (T22) frigate HMS LONDON and USS JARRETT, was engaged by two Silkworms.One missile crashed into the sea, the other was intercepted and destroyed by the Sea Dart. This action was in many ways prove to be a watershed in RN thinking, both confirming its previous experiences in the Falklands war and setting the pattern for future warship design and tactics. Two essential lessons arose from this one engagement. First, JARRETT’s Raytheon Phalanx 20 mm Close In Weapons System (CIWS) designed specifically to shoot down incoming AShMs was placed in autoengagement mode but failed to engage the Silkworm and instead targeted chaff launched by MISSOURI. Second, LONDON which carried the MBDA Sea Wolf SAM, which like to Phalanx was an anti AShM system, did not engage the Silkworm. This reflected the earlier Falklands experience when the missile failed to engage Argentine Exocet AShMs.HMS Daring, the first Type 45, was launched in 2006.Likewise, in various Middle-East conflicts the Phalanx has failed to intercept incoming AShMs, the first occasion being in 1987 when the USS STARK was accidentally attacked by an Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 which fired two Exocet missiles at the frigate. The failure of both ‘last ditch’ weapons systems gave rise to consideration of how to effectively protect ships against AShMs particularly as these develop in sophistication and can now attain hypersonic speeds or be fired over a ballistic trajectory.DESIGN OF THE TYPE 45The Type 45 is often negatively compared to the American Arleigh Burke design which is equipped with ninety-six BAE Systems (BAES) Mk 41 Universal Vertical Launching System cells (thirty-two fore and sixty-four aft). They are allocated for SAMs, Raytheon Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and Honeywell Subroc Anti-Submarine missiles although the mix is varied in order to meet specific mission needs.For a maximum Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) load out seventy-two cells carry forty-eight Raytheon RIM-66 SM-2 and eight RIM-174 SM-6 Standard SAMs, together with sixty-four Raytheon Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSMs) which are quad packed in sixteen cells. (These are figures for Flights I and II ships, Flight IIA vessels have an additional six Mk 41 cells.) Interestingly the Burkes were not initially equipped with the Phalanx CIWS, close-in defence against AShMs was provided by the ESSMs.A Type 45 launched a Sea Viper missile.They are now equipped with at least one Phalanx. In comparison the T 45s have forty-eight A 50 Sylver cells for MBDA Aster 15 and Aster 30 SAMs. Additionally each ship is equipped with two Phalanx CIWS, while four T45s may be equipped with eight canisters for Harpoon missiles at any one time, the Harpoons having been removed from the Batch 3 Type 22 Cornwall class frigates when they were decommissioned in 2011.These figures would appear to afford the Arleigh Burke class an overall superiority in terms of AAW capability. However, there are some factors which are not apparent in the statistics which tip the balance in favour of the T45. The Burkes are equipped with the Aegis combat system which currently uses the Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-1D(V) S-band radar featuring four passive electronic system arrays (PESAs) as the primary system for threat detection, searching and tracking targets at a range of 189+ nmi (350+ km). Being a PESA radar it cannot provide target illumination for Semi-Active Radar Homing (SARH) missiles of which the SM-2 and ESSM Block 1 are the most widely used examples. These missiles must be guided to a target by three SPG-62 continuous wave illuminators (CWIs) controlled by a Raytheon Mark 99 fire-control system. This places the Burkes at a considerable disadvantage if a destroyer was to experience a saturation attack of twenty to thirty AShMs because the mechanically steered SPG-62 can only guide a limited number of SM-2s at once.Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon at sunset.These shortcomings will all begin to be addressed from 2023 on Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers which will be equipped with the introduction of the AN/SPY-6 active electronic scanned array (AESA) Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR). Together with active radar homing (ARH) SM-6 and ESSM Block 2 missiles these destroyers will be formidable AAW and ballistic missile defence (BMD) platforms and gain superior capabilities over and against the T45.The T45 features the BAES SAMPSON S band AESA multi-function radar (MFR) which is primarily used for fire control, although it can also carry out long range search to a distance of 216 nmi (400 km). It is the radar component of the Sea Viper air defence system, the other being MBDA Aster SAMs. SAMPSON features two back-to-back planar arrays which rotate at 30 revolutions per minute leaving no area of the sky without coverage for less than 0.5 seconds. Being smaller and lighter than fixed radar arrays such as the AN/SPY-1D(V) or the Thales Nederland Active Phased Array Radar (APAR), SAMPSON is sited approximately double the height of either and consequently has a considerable advantage in its ability to detect sea-skimming targets over a longer range. Early detection of such threats was one of the lessons coming out of the Falklands war as was the necessity to have the maximum number of missiles available to bring to bear on incoming targets.HMS Daring escorting US Navy carrier, the USS Enterprise.Being an AESA radar SAMPSON has inherent advantages in countering a saturation attack with the ability to simultaneously illuminate and steer Aster missiles to thirty-two or more targets. The US Naval War College has suggested that SAMPSON is capable of tracking 1,000 objects the size of a cricket ball travelling at Mach 3, consequently emphasising the radar’s performance against high speed stealth targets. SAMPSON is complemented by the BAES S1850M PESA L band volume search radar capable of tracking of up to 1,000 targets at a range of 216 nmi (400 km). It is also capable of detecting stealth targets, and is able to detect and track missiles in the outer atmosphere at short range, therefore making it capable of forming part of a Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (TBMD) system.For long range defence against AShMs the 65 nmi (120 km) range Aster 30 and the 130 nmi (240 km) range SM-6 are currently the West’s most advanced shipborne SAMs. Both missiles feature inertial guidance and active radar homing. The Aster 30 has a terminal speed of Mach 4.5, the SM-6 Mach 3.5. Both are designed to provide area defence. The Aster is fired on a one shot one kill basis and features a unique combination of aerodynamic control and direct thrust vector control called ‘PIF-PAF’ through which the missile is capable of high speed end manoeuvres. Together these features are claimed to give Aster an unmatched kill (Pk) capability. In addition to providing anti-aircraft defence, the SM-6 is designed to perform terminal phase Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) as are the Aster 30 Block 1NT/Block 2 BMD missiles. American practice is to ripple fire missiles with at least two directed at each target. (Perhaps recognising the practice of firing multiple Standard missiles at one target, the South Korean Sejong the Great class destroyers carry no less than one hundred and twenty-eight missiles of different combinations.) Hence, the T45’s seeming disadvantage of carrying fewer SAMS is offset by the number of missiles directed at a target, forty-eight Asters prospectively destroying the same number of targets, while ripple firing ninety-six Standard missiles would normally be required to achieve the same outcome.HMS Dauntless.IMPROVING THE T45’S ARMAMENTWith a displacement of 9,400 tons full load, the T45s are nearly twice the weight of its T42 predecessor at 5,350 tons (Batch III). The T42 was constrained by its size which inhibited its growth potential. An initial proposal was for the T42 to be equipped with both Sea Dart and Sea Wolf SAM systems for long range AAW and point defence against AShMs respectively. However the T42 was too small to accommodate both systems particularly the Sea Wolf missile system which was both large and heavy. The Sea Wolf system meant that the three batches of T22 frigates were both larger and heavier than the T42s. In the Falklands war Sea Wolf suffered from problems with hardware failure causing launches to fail, and computer malfunctions causing broken lock onto targets.Nevertheless, there is some argument that had COVENTRY been equipped with both Sea Dart and Sea Wolf she may have survived the 25 May 1982 attack which sank her. Consequently, in designing the T45 provision was made for a multi-layered AAW capability with Aster 30 missiles providing long range area defence, Aster 15 missiles short range defence and Phalanx CIWS providing ‘last ditch’ defence against AShMs. This considerable capability is enhanced immeasurably by SAMPSON, arguably the most capable naval radar extant. Yet, while the T45s are a considerable improvement over their predecessors and match or exceed the capabilities of other Western AAW destroyers they can nevertheless be improved in their armament and sensors.HMS Defender along with one of her seaboats.Gun ArmamentThe inability of chaff to prevent the destruction of the ATLANTIC CONVEYER in the Falklands war demonstrated to the RN the limitations of passive defence systems. This was later reinforced by the inability of chaff fired from the MISSOURI to decoy the incoming Silkworm AShM. Both events confirmed that the greatest defence against incoming missiles was via a hard kill. What is also apparent from attacks by AShMs is that the Phalanx CIWS has failed in every instance to shoot down an incoming missile. In addition to the MISSOURI and STARK incidents, on July 14, 2006 Hezbollah fired two Chinese made C-802 AShMs at Israeli warships one of which hit the corvette INS HANIT. The HANIT possessed sophisticated a multi-layered missile defence capability including a Phalanx CIWS, Barak 1 anti-missile missiles, chaff and ECM and an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system which was activated at the time of the attack. These should have detected and brought down the AShMs but did not. With respect to both this and the STARK incident it was claimed that their ship’s defensive systems, including Phalanx, were switched off. Despite there being some evidence proffered to support these claims, it seems either implausible or negligent that ships operating in war zones had their principal defensive systems turned off.HMS Diamond.A far superior alternative to the Phalanx would be a system which combines a gun and missiles to provide defence against incoming AShMs. In my article for the UKDJ Wartime Operations – Employing the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers[1], I noted that mounted on the DS30M Mark 2 remotely operated 30mm cannon turret Thales Martlet Lightweight Modular Missiles (LMMs) and Thales High Velocity Missiles (HVMs) would provide a formidable anti-surface and anti-air capability. Jed Cawthorn supports my opinion in relation to this option and further adds that ‘I am no fan of the Phalanx, it was introduced to the RN…in the early 80s…so hope to see it retired in favour of a more modern and capable system’.[2] In the same article he gives a detailed analysis of weapons options for the Type 31e (T31e) frigate, much of which also can apply to the T45. In particular he notes that the with the T45 unlikely to be used for Naval Gunfire Support (NGS) a good option for the ships would be to replace the BAES Mk45 Mod 4 127 mm/ 4.5 inch main gun and Phalanx CIWS with the BAES Bofors 57 mm Mk3 gun in non-deck penetrating mounts.There is a strong case to support this argument. The gun can fire up to 220 rounds per minute out to a range of 10.6 miles (17 kms). With a greater range and firing a heavier round the 57 mm gun arguably has a greater Pk than the Phalanx CIWS. Additionally, the gun can fire BAES Ordnance for Rapid Kill of Attack Craft (ORKA) projectile which is a one shot-one kill round fitted with an imaging semi-active seeker. It can be guided to its target through laser designation or autonomously by downloading an image of the target prior to firing.HMS Dragon behind F-35Bs onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.In development is the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Multi-Azimuth Defense Fast Intercept Round Engagement System (MAD-FIRES) rocket propelled projectile. Fired from the Bofors 57 mm gun, it will combine the speed, rapid fire and the availability of the rounds of a gun weapon system with the precision and accuracy of guided missiles. Both ORKA and MAD-FIRES use enhanced ammunition rounds able to alter their flight path in real time to stay on target, together with a capacity to continuously target, track and engage multiple fast-approaching targets simultaneously and re-engage any targets that survive initial engagement.The current and future ammunition possibilities provide the 57 mm gun combined with the Sea Viper missile system would provide the T45 with a greater capability to defeat cruise missiles, AShMs, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft as well as surface threats simultaneously.Missile ArmamentJanes reported in May 2014 that the UK was committing more funds to explore the development of the T45’s SAMPSON radar and Sea Viper missile system’s anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defence capabilities. This followed a live firing event hundreds of miles north of Kwajalein Atoll in the Western Pacific Ocean, where DARING successfully demonstrated the ability to detect and track at considerable range two medium-range ballistic missiles. Further signalling the UK’s intention to equip the T45s with an ABM capability, in March 2016 Britain and France announced a joint procurement programme with the intention of France acquiring MBDA Brimstone anti-tank missiles and Britain acquiring Aster Block 1NT missiles capable of intercepting medium range ballistic missiles which have a range of 539 nmi – 808 nmi (1,000 – 1,500 km). Once purchased the ABM Aster will match the capabilities of the SM-3 and SM-6 Standard series of missiles.However, it is not the capabilities of the Aster missile which is questioned when the subject of missile armament is raised in relation to the T45. As noted above, negative comments are directed towards the T45 with respect to the low number of Aster missiles carried. Increasing the number of available anti-aircraft missiles could be achieved by replacing eight Aster missiles with quad-packed MBDA Sea Ceptor missiles, increasing the load out to seventy-two missiles. The Sea Ceptor (also designated the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile [CAMM]) is an active radar homing missile which requires no fire control or illumination radars. It has a speed of Mach 3 and a range of 13.5+ nmi (25+ km), although Janes have reported that the missile has achieved a range of 32 nmi (60 km).HMS Duncan fires an Aster 30 missile.The CAMM-ER (CAMM-Extended Range) has a range of 24 nmi (45+ km). The Sea Ceptor has similar characteristics to the Aster 15, with a high rate of fire, 360 degree coverage and a high degree of manoeuvrability the missile can provide defence against saturation attacks by supersonic AShMs as well as aircraft. In addition to its primary role the RN has confirmed that the missile has a limited surface-to-surface role with the capability to engage small naval vessels.Beyond this limited capability should the RN determine to equip the T45s with a more substantial AShM capability many possibilities remain open. With the Harpoon Block 1C missiles in RN service now obsolescent they will be removed from both T23 frigates and T45 destroyers by 2023. Anti-surface capability will rely entirely on the Martlet and MBDA Sea Venom lightweight AShMs carried by Leonardo Wildcat HMA2 helicopters. However, in an acknowledgement that a heavyweight AShM would be required to sink vessels larger than a corvette, in March 2019 the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) document which sets out the general requirements for a Harpoon replacement to potential contractors.These requirements for the Interim Surface to Surface Guided Weapon (I-SSGW) include capabilities to provide over-the-horizon precision anti-ship strike and a terrain-following precision maritime land attack. Missiles in contention to meet this requirement include the Lockheed Martin Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) AGM-158C, the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and the Saab RBS15 Mk 4 ‘Gungnir’ (Odin’s Spear). These missiles will be canister launched from the T23s. However, if the T45s were to be equipped with AShMs it would make sense to launch them from sixteen strike-length VLS cells for which provision has been made aft of the existing Sylver cells. These could be either the Mk 41 VLS which can accommodate the TLAM, LRASM and Anti-Submarine ROCket (ASROC), or the Sylver A70 VLS for the MdCN derivative of Storm Shadow. Logic would suggest that a purchase of the LRASM which could be used on both types of vessels would be the more suitable choice. Whichever missile is chosen in the interim, by the early 2030s both the T45s and T26s will be equipped with the MBDA CVS401 Perseus Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon (FCASW).HMS Duncan with her Wildcat Helicopter.The T45s have no provision for anti-submarine weapons which are carried instead by an embarked Wildcat or Leonardo Merlin HM2 helicopter. A decision to install the Mk 41 VLS would bring with it the possibility to carry ASROC, but bringing yet another weapon type into RN service would appear unlikely especially given that the missile’s design dates back to the early 1960s.SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONThat the T45 is at the forefront of modern AAW destroyer design is without question. How to maintain its superiority in the face of growing and far more complex threats is now a question which should be addressed by the RN. Particular attention must be given to the number of missiles carried. One possible and innovative solution comes in the form of the BAES Adaptive Deck Launcher (ADL) which has four Mk 41 cells positioned on a ship’s deck in much the same way as any other canister system. The great of the ADL is that it can launch all current RN and USN missiles via its Mk 41 cells.Quad packed into two ADL’s Mk 41 cells the T45 could carry thirty-two Sea Ceptors without the need to reduce the complement of Aster missiles. The greatest benefit brought by the ADL is that unlike VSLs it can be replenished at sea. Given this development and other rapidly growing technologies, the future possibilities for the expansion of the T45’s armament and sensor systems are considerable hence there remains the probability that the type will indeed be among the world’s best air defence destroyers for some time to come.