Posted on 05/20/2016 10:50:25 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Longer than the Houses of Parliament and able to launch up to 108 air strike sorties per day, Britain’s new aircraft carriers will make potential enemies “think twice” about starting future wars, their senior naval officer has said.
The new Queen Elizabeth Class carriers will be become Britain’s most potent conventional weapon and change the way the Royal Navy does business, Capt Simon Petitt said.
The two vast 67,000 tonne vessels, which have cost £6.2bn for the pair, are the largest warships ever built in Britain.
The first of the ships to be ready, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is due to start sea trials next year and is expected to be ready for its first deployment in 2021. Its sister ship, the Prince of Wales, is being built alongside at Rosyth on the Firth of Forth and is expected to be ready around 18 months later.
The vast ships, which are being built by an army of 10,000 workers, have a four acre flight deck and are taller than the Niagara Falls.
Each vessel will have more than 3,000 compartments and as well as a crew of nearly 700, will also be able to accommodate another 900 air crew and Marines.
Capt Petitt, senior naval officer for the two vessels, said they would become the UK’s “most potent strategic weapon bar the continuous at sea deterrent.”
“It is about stopping wars rather than starting them. If someone does want to start a war I think they might think twice if they see one of these ships coming over the horizon.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Make work money for the union ship-builders, mainly in Scotland.
In the modern era, Carriers require a fast, capable picket line of Aegis destroyers...nuke subs...and back-up carriers.
Or, they must be relegated to being part of a US Navy Carrier Battle Group.
I don't believe Britain has sufficient surface and sub-surface assets to protect these ships operating independently. I would like to be wrong, but don't think I am.
In addition, they have been integrated into the US Navy's CSG defense program:
Their Astute SSNs are on par with our Virginia class too.
Problem is, they only have about sixe of each.
Probably enough to provide two Type 45s and one Astute for any one of their carriers deployed.
Ok, so I looked at the skateboard ramp. Looks about 10 feet high. So the difference is the the plane will leave the deck ten feet higher off the water than a plane leaving a flat surface. So what? Seems that going up the ramp would slow the plane down a bit. I don’t get the purpose of the ramp.
Ok, so I looked at the skateboard ramp. Looks about 10 feet high. So the difference is the the plane will leave the deck ten feet higher off the water than a plane leaving a flat surface. So what? Seems that going up the ramp would slow the plane down a bit. I don’t get the purpose of the ramp.
They’ll be flying the ISIS flag inside 3 years.
Thus my comment about sufficient assets.
They have good tech, good history and knowledge...but no ship building program to speak of.
Truly sad given their history.
Yep.
The Royal Navy should have 12 of each (the Darings and the Astutes). But they do not.
Just the same, if needed, I do believe that they could get one of their carriers out and sufficiently protected for strike at sea or ground support operations.
If they wanted to do both (assuming both were available) one of them would most certainly have to buddy up with a US Navy CBG.
10 feet higher and at an increased angle.
Ok, so I looked at the skateboard ramp. Looks about 10 feet high. So the difference is the the plane will leave the deck ten feet higher off the water than a plane leaving a flat surface. So what? Seems that going up the ramp would slow the plane down a bit. I don’t get the purpose of the ramp10 foot higher and with a vertical velocity component. So it is now flying a semi-ballistic path even without full wing support. It gives 1-2 seconds before it starts descending - enough to accelerate from 85 to 170 knots and full wing supported flying
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