Posted on 01/07/2013 6:36:13 PM PST by the scotsman
'These new computer-generated images put into context the huge scale of the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy.
The Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) has released a series of powerful posters illustrating the sheer size of the warships. The computer-generated images show the warships dwarfing some of the country's most recognisable landmarks.
Another notable poster is of the under-construction HMS Queen Elizabeth berthed alongside in Portsmouth, Hants.
The ACA is a consortium of defence companies behind the construction of Portsmouth's newest carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. Ian Booth, programme director of the ACA, said: 'These posters depict the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers in front of the Houses of Parliament and in Portsmouth. 'They're stunning images and show that two really spectacular ships can be expected once construction is complete.'
A computer-generated image released last year showed how HMS Queen Elizabeth would look alongside at Portsmouth Naval Base. The images reveal the length of the ship is the equivalent of 28 London buses and is almost three times the size of Buckingham Palace. Around 80,000 tonnes of steel will be used for the two ships, three times that used in Wembley Stadium.
The carriers are 280m in length, 65,000 tonnes and capable of transporting 40 aircraft - twice the capacity of HMS Illustrious. They are being constructed at shipyards around the country and taken for assembly at Rosyth in Scotland.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
In this day and age of ever-faster and smarter missile technology, carriers are becoming obsolete. Sure, we can roll one up on a small country without the resources to give us a run for our money, but the Russians and Chinese have developed special missiles which have a high probability of destroying or disabling a carrier. If these missiles are fire in volleys, their probabilities go way up. Sure we have some missile defenses, but you really only have to get lucky once with the hypersonic missiles they are working on that are travelling at speets approaching mach 10 and upwards. A simple, non-explosive warhead travelling at that speed would be like being struck by a comet.
There also is the growing militarization of space, which has the usual players, namely Russia, and to a lesser degree, China. Why each country would not be working on their own version of Rods from God would defy common sense. Imagine even a crowbar moving at several miles per second making impact.
I wonder if it has dual SU downdraft carbs.
Madness.
(I say that on every UK post)
I think the Brits invented the angle flight deck. Ironic it lacks that...
So how long were you in the Navy?
The Brits had balls. Too bad all the good ones were killed at the Somme. And the real men in France died at Verdun, same for the Germans at Stalingrad.
With a little luck Lucas CAV won’t be doing the electrical work on the CV.
The next war will start with large missiles and torpedoes hitting these targets.
It’s a good lookin’ ship.
VSTOL
I assumed they’ve learned their lesson and designed catapult and arresting gear into the flight deck for conventional Naval A/C.
Nope. Too expensive and the UK has reversed course again and will be purchasing the F-35B as originally planned.
Yes.
28 years
The correct reply is, “All me bloomin’ life!” shipmate. Unless, of course you were an officer, then the correct reply is, “Until my wife made me quit.”
Still no according to the people I know who are involved in this.
The Defence Secretary does want to go back to the F-35B idea and has announced that, but it’s contingent on the F-35B being proven viable by sometime later this year and that is looking unlikely. The final decision on whether to go CATOBAR with the F-35C or stick with the F-35B has to be made in the second half of this year. The F-35C will be the decision unless the F-35B reaches a particular set of criteria by then, and that is doubtful - the USMC (who also want the F-35B) expect that stage to be reached in 2014 or 2015. That’s too late for the British - they need to make the final decision this year. Personally, I think the Defence Secretary’s announcement was primarily intended to both put pressure on Lockheed Martin to speed things up, while simultaneously saying that if it would help speed things up, they could be confident Britain would go with that choice. But it has to happen by the time they reach the stage of building the flight deck on the first carrier, or they will have to go with CATOBAR and conventional take off.
None of this, naturally, is restricted information or I wouldn’t be discussing it. But I’m confident of what I’m saying. The F-35B is officially Britain’s current choice - but it will only remain so if Lockheed Martin reach certain stages earlier than expected.
How’d make it past the Wibbly Wobbly Bridge? ;O)
Either way, the F-35 is a mouse made to government specifications:
] 
It is basically a:
Too bad, it was a good idea.
EMALs for the CVFs has been scrapped. The UK cannot afford $3.2 billion to outfit two boats with catapults and arresting gear. There will not be a catapult of any type installed.
There are a lot of people who were confident that the F-35B would never make it off of Gates' probation, including Gates. They were wrong as well. Sea trials on the Wasp in October of 2011 proved that. As for viability of the B, you might want to talk to the folks in Yuma at VMFA-121, which stood up on 20 November 2012 and will have its full complement of aircraft by the end of 2013.
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