Several countries interested in buying ex-Spanish Navy Aircraft Carrier Principe de Asturias

Navy Recognition ^ | 27 May 2013

[sukhoi-30mki]

Several countries interested in buying ex-Spanish Navy Aircraft Carrier Principe de Asturias

According to rumors that emerged recently in the Spanish press, the Philippines as well as several Arab countries have expressed interest in purchasing the former Spanish Navy Aircraft Carrier Principe de Asturias. In case of a sale, the contract would include refit and upgrading of the vessel by Spanish shipyard Navantia.

The Spanish aircraft carrier SPS Principe De Asturias (R 11) steams through the Atlantic Ocean while participating in Majestic Eagle 2004. (Picture: US Navy)

It is reported that Indonesia already expressed interest in the vessel earlier this year. Following an official visit by TNI AL (Indonesian Navy) delegation to the El Ferrol naval base however, Indonesia decided not to purchase the aircraft carrier.

Principe de Asturias was officially decommissioned in February 2013, with the initial intention to dismantle it for scrap. However this initial plan changed when Spanish Ministry of Defense reportedly received several requests for the aircraft carrier from several countries. Spanish Navy confirmed that there are potential buyers, but has yet to materialize any sales transaction.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Deck looks like a hard-on.

[Yo-Yo]

Is the ship large enough to retrofit an angled recovery deck? If not, then whoever buys it will also have to buy F-35Bs to operate from it. That or accept the extremely high maintenance of old Harriers.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Spaniels have a navy ?

[tanknetter]

Is the ship large enough to retrofit an angled recovery deck? If not, then whoever buys it will also have to buy F-35Bs to operate from it. That or accept the extremely high maintenance of old Harriers.

No, it's way too small for an angled deck. And even if one could be retrofitted the ski-jump on the bow precludes the fitting of any sort of catapults.

I'm surprised she was decommissioned. I though the Spanish were planning on operating her for another 10-15 years. Yes, I believe that she can handle F-35s, just not a lot of them (they take up something like 2.5x the deckspace of AV-8Bs).

The Thais operate a smaller cousin of hers, the Chakri Naruebet. I think she's the smallest Harrier-carrier out there, looks like a PdA Mini-Me. The Spanish sold/gave the Thais their old AV-8A Matadors in the deal, but the Thais never really operated them - and never really wanted them, actually.

To smaller countries that are doing low-level military ops like fisheries protection, anti-piracy, search/rescue a ship like PdA, or Chakri Naruebet, has value as a helo-carrier alone. Heck, the Aussies are buying ski-jump equipped ships from Spain, but have no intention of buying or operating the STOVL variant of the F-35.

[MHalblaub]

There air more aircraft than just Harriers or F-35B to operate from that ship. Indonesia already has several Russian Su-30MK2. So it seems they would have no problem to order some MiG-29K.

[tanknetter]

There air more aircraft than just Harriers or F-35B to operate from that ship. Indonesia already has several Russian Su-30MK2. So it seems they would have no problem to order some MiG-29K.

Her deck is way too small for conventional ops. She's a really small carrier. For reference, here's a picture of her next to a Perry-class frigate. It's a big picture, so I'm only posting a link rather than embedding.

Note also the big "well" in the stern. That's where her second aircraft elevator is. That one might be big enough to handle a MiG-29, but the forward one (in front of the island) isn't. That one is designed to handle a SH-3 Sea King with rotors folded.

[VaFederalist]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_ship_Juan_Carlos_I_%28L61%29

They built an LHD.

[Resolute Conservative]

We have frigates bigger than that. I bet her rough seas aircraft recovery is pretty fun...

[Oztrich Boy]

Is the ship large enough to retrofit an angled recovery deck?

No. too short to allow sufficient arrestor runout. too skinny to support deck overhang. and probably hanger deck too close to the waterline to move the lift to the side.

[tanknetter]

They built an LHD.

Yup. Spain's goal was to have three light carriers/LHDs. Two new LHDs and the PdA. One would be in layup/overhaul, one would be deployed/deployment-read and one would be in workups/surge-capable - same as the Brits did with their Invincibles for a while.

[A.A. Cunningham]

You've been here long enough to know how to resize a photo.

[A.A. Cunningham]

(they take up something like 2.5x the deckspace of AV-8Bs).

BS

AV-8B dimensions:

Length: 46 ft 4 in (14.12 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m)
Wing area: 243.4 ft² (22.61 m²)

F-35B dimensions:

Length: 51.3 ft (15.6 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft (10.7 m)
Wing Area: 460 ft² (42.7 m²)

[paddles]

Wouldn’t the CHICOMs want another “floating casino” like the Varyag?

[Yo-Yo]

There air more aircraft than just Harriers or F-35B to operate from that ship. Indonesia already has several Russian Su-30MK2. So it seems they would have no problem to order some MiG-29K.

Those other aircraft are STOBAR, which is why I asked if the ship could take an angled recovery deck.

[tanknetter]

You've been here long enough to know how to resize a photo.

The issue isn't resizing - which yes, I know how to do but at times should be considered discourteous, especially to the site/owner that's hosting the picture.

That's the case here. The issue is that the original is a relatively large 1+ MB file.

Not sure if you're aware, but "resizing" just makes the picture look smaller on the screen. It doesn't actually make the picture smaller. So every time someone opens this page they're downloading the pic.

[0.E.O]

There air more aircraft than just Harriers or F-35B to operate from that ship. Indonesia already has several Russian Su-30MK2. So it seems they would have no problem to order some MiG-29K.

Both of which require arrested landings. The Spanish carrier isn't equipped with arresting wires.

[tanknetter]

BS

AV-8B dimensions:

F-35B dimensions:

Straight measurement stats don't tell the whole story regarding deck footprint. The two big issues are that 1.) The F-35 has a much greater wing area (as indicated in your measurements) - including tailplane area (and distance between the ends of the two horizontal stabs) and 2.) is also a heck of a lot WIDER (why my military aviator friends tend to call the F-35 the "Fat-35") than the Harrier.

The F-35 is, physically, a larger aircraft than the F/A-18A-C (Legacy Hornet) is, and is pretty close to the F-15, if they're placed side-by-side.