Posted on 10/21/2010 11:04:28 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Following the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the government has confirmed it will build both Queen Elizabeth class carriers but the first will carry no planes and be removed from active service after three years once the second is completed.
The second carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, will be redesigned to enable it to take the conventional Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) planes currently being built by the US, rather than the more advanced and more expensive variant the previous government had planned to buy
The first carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will be completed in 2016 but will only carry helicopters before being put into ’extended readiness’, effectively replaced by the Prince of Wales.
With the immediate retiring of existing carrier HMS Ark Royal, the UK will lose the ability to launch fighter jets at sea until 2019. But the government plans to fit a system of catapults and arrestor wires (known as ’cats and traps’) to the Prince of Wales.
(Excerpt) Read more at theengineer.co.uk ...
I went to a lecture last night by Alan Johnson, BAE systems CEO for surface ships. He confirmed that Cats and Traps will be fitted to these carriers, design rework is already underway, and it will be electromagnetic. The ship is to use electric motors anyway, so presumably there will be lots of power for this system.
Let’s see, first the Brits need 150 STVOL F-35Bs, no make that 138 - then after recent budget cuts change the order and make that the conventional Naval F-35Cs, maybe just 40. OK so the Brits had to buy US Naval aircraft like the F-4Ks in the late 1960s. But they also need EMALS and new traps for their now re-designed carriers.
With no R&D funds necessary for the EMALS cats required of Britain, this should be a cost savings to allow for the purchase of some lead-off F-18E/Fs so that they have something for their strike pilots to fly until the two QEII class carriers are finished.
Yes, the cost of supporting both the F-18E/F and the F-35C models would be a problem for the Brits but they are going to need, but the US Navy is going to support those two types of aircraft anyway. The F-18E/F would also give the Brits future high-speed tanker assets and throw in a few of the EA-18G “Growler” to help any F-18E/F or F-35 strike packages.
Now with some home-based F-18E/F the Brits could put them to use with deploying US Navy F-18E/F squadrons to gain valuble skill sets/experience with US Naval Aviation in preparation for evolutions on their own CATOBAR carrier(s). When the two British carriers are finally finished - at least the Brits will have something to fly off the decks until they receive their full complement of F-35Cs.
Who knows, :-)
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Just for grins, is the F/A-18E/F, or the F-35C for that matter, capable of STOBAR operation?
Two predictions; one, that the UK might end up selling BOTH ships. Two, that if they keep or or both, the F-35 will never see their decks. The Brits will probably end up buying the (much) more affordable Super Bug.
For even more grins try this link:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NIMROD-MRA4-/190458901355?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c583c336b
Apparently for the defense cuts in the UK someone is put out over the decision to scrap the Nimrod.
Read the comments, some are quite funny!!
Which won't do them a lot of good without the nonexportable ALQ-99.
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