needs a ramp to launch aircraft, and it won’t be operational with aircraft until.......2020
I’m not so impressed.
but then, it’s not so clear that the UK has any use for aircraft carriers anymore
Britain needs a full-spectrum capability blue water navy because it is an island nation that depends on the security of the seas for its survival and livelihood, that is why we need carriers. Given that oil production in the Falklands is scheduled to begin in earnest once these carriers are ready duty, they are needed to help deter Argie aggression for a start.
Admittedly, it would have been better if they had cats and traps, but they are designed to be able to be converted into that configuration in the future if the future demands it.
I do wonder however, if carriers won’t be made redundant against all but the most pisspot of coastal nations though now that the Chinese have invented the ‘carrier killer’ DF-21D ballistic missile. Given that Chinese and Argies have been forming military links lately, it is probably only a matter of time before the PRC sells them these killer missiles and would make it virtually impossible for even a Ford Class carrier group to retake the islands.
The ski jump allows the aircraft to get airborne with a greater take off weight, than a STOVL jet would do from a flat deck.
It’s vastly more capable compared to something like the USS America.
Substance over style, every time.