Aircraft Carriers III

Obi Wan Russell

Obi Wan Russell

Jedi Master
VIP Professional
Jura said:
well I think the bottom line of this discussion is when the RN deploys a carrier to for example Persian Gulf

(LOL I of course don't mean a PR stunt of sailing there, covered by the USN 5th Fleet, with an empty deck)
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I was talking strictly about the slow pace of completion and bringing into service of the carriers, and pointing out that the problem isn't the engineering of construction or the time needed for training the crew. They have been slowed deliberately by the Government to save money. Nothing more.
 
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
Obi Wan Russell said:
I was talking strictly about the slow pace of completion and bringing into service of the carriers, and pointing out that the problem isn't the engineering of construction or the time needed for training the crew. They have been slowed deliberately by the Government to save money. Nothing more.
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OK then we were talking past each other, as I'm interested in war fighting capability
 
bd popeye

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Excellent article here on what R08 will be doing during WESTLANT 18. For the full monty click the link below...rather lengthy..

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AUGUST 18, 2018

Just over a year since HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in Portsmouth for the first time, she will sail for her longest and most significant deployment yet. Known as Westlant 18, the primary purpose of the trip is for QE to conduct the first of class flying trials (FOCFT) with the F-35B Lightning II.

Itinerary;

Before crossing the Atlantic, the ship will embark more helicopters and conduct a few days of additional rotary wing flying trials in UK waters. She will then head to the eastern seaboard of the US which is likely to take around 10 days, depending on weather and the flying programme. When close to the US, the Merlin Mk4s will fly off Royal Marines to conduct a small demonstration assault landing. This is not a full-scale test of QE in the assault role (HMS Prince of Wales will undertake the main development of amphibious capability) but is a preliminary trial of the ship’s ability to embark troops onto helicopters and launch them simultaneously. The Royal Marines will then participate in joint exercises ashore with their US Marine Corps counterparts.

QE’s is expected at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia in early September. She will unload Royal Marine equipment and take on test equipment required for the F-35 flight trials programme. While the crew get some time ashore, the ship is likely to be of a subject of great curiosity to the US military who have generously provided much support for the regeneration of UK carrier strike. Norfolk is home to six of the US Navy’s ten supercarriers and QE is a showcase for a radically different approach to aircraft carrier design.

The F-35 flight trials off the east coast will consist of two Developmental Testing periods (DT-01 and DT-02) which are scheduled to last around about 3-4 weeks each, with a break in between. The first F-35 landing on QE will probably be in the 3rd week of September. A historic occasion will be the ship’s arrival in New York sometime in October, which will attract considerable public attention in the US. QE will come to anchor with small boats used to ferry visitors and personnel to and from the ship. The RN is in negotiations with the New York harbour authorities for a ‘high profile anchorage’. Prominent US and British politicians are likely to visit the ship and this will be the first big demonstration of her potential as a floating ambassador for the UK. Before returning home in December, the ship will make a second visit to Norfolk to re-embark equipment and Royal Marines.

QE may spend some time in the Caribbean to test her performance in hot/humid conditions. The RN has also done some contingency planning in case the ship is called on to assist in hurricane relief operations in the region. 700 tonnes of disaster relief stores and equipment are embarked on QE but fortunately weather patterns this year would suggest that hurricanes are likely to be less severe than last year when HMS Ocean was called upon. (RFA Mounts Bay is already in the area and available to assist). As always, the Westlant 18 programme may be subject to change in response to events.
 
bd popeye

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
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Historic!
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