It absolutely does require a destroyer escort(s) still, the escort does not change because it has its own missile system. Smaller carriers carry less, are less effective, require the same escort and resupply as a large one. They also can't scale up to meet a threat like a large carrier can. Logic p...

benny14 wrote: HMS QE is specifically designed to operate 36 F-35s in the Strike carrier role...

THIS.
So, when carryng 8-12 F-35, not because there's no need for them ( action against Sierra Leone frex ), but because HMG didn't buy more than that needed or not, wouldn't you call that useless?

AS has been pointe out earlier the reason for the ARG now is to move a "Strike" brigade including its tail in one go. The RM are to return to their roots as a raiding force or be transport to a theatre of operations and fight as an elite brigade of infantry. We are not going to be conduct...

I noted that the arriving F35s at Marham again used SRVL, which tends to confirm my belief that this will become the standard method of landing on the carriers. Unless of course when the trials start aboard QE they discover any major problems with the technique. Do the US Marines use SRVL at all or...

Fred, if you have 12 F-35 on board, it's the same thing has the carrier 25000 t or 70000 t, they will all be used for air defence, and even that not really efficient. And yes, that's useless, but they are both useless as strike carrier. On the other hand, Italian Cavour costed about 2,1 bln. USD IIR...

And having a 70 000 t carrier with 12 F-35 as strike package isn't? The key difference being that a 30,000t carrier will always be useless for strike, while a 70,000t carrier can have more aircraft assigned to it if need and finances allow? IF, IF If we're goeing to use that argument, than IF need ...

Yeeeep. Fully agreed. Better say 3 small carriers like Cavour-class with one serving as strike carrier and second as amphibious carrier. That should be just about the cost of one QE-carrier. And use the money from other for say additional SSN or pair of Type 26... That would be absolutely useless i...

It's a bit Like buying a new shiney Bentley, but with just 2 tires and broken engine. OFC, you will fix it by 2025 or 2030 or after that (it's Bentley, it will last for 50 years), but for now, you can park it in front of your house and let neighbours die out of jelousy. Who can have anything against...

A single small squadron may appear to be adequate for "Wave the flag", deployments but can you imagine the French or US navies deploying a carrier overseas with say a single squadron on board. It doesn't matter how you try to spin it we have built two magnificent carriers but cannot affor...

https://navaltoday.com/2018/08/03/royal ... -upgrades/

HMS Defender back in service, with two new gas turbines.

Can you elaborate on this a bit please? I can't understand how we will have enough squadrons to do this given that we will have 2 carriers active from ca. 2023 onwards (even the PoW will have to have a handful of F35bs in the commando carrier role) Does anyone really expect to have both carriers at...

Isn't 15 aircrafts in OCU too much for just 2 operational squadrons of 12 each? I guess that's kind of what I'm getting at, how best do we use the limited airframes we will have for the next 10-15 years. I know the airframes are not the only limitation, the pilots, maintainers and all the other ena...

Isn't 15 aircrafts in OCU too much for just 2 operational squadrons of 12 each?

well if you are on this site when on holiday that is quite sad however I don't care where you are from. There are people on here from all over the world some come with great stuff others talk shit ( and that just a matter of opinion for each of us ) What? I'm no longer a GRU agent from Saint Peters...

PapaGolf wrote:Unless using Croatian google was a clever deception, Comrade.

Maybe I'm on vacations in Croatia...

Donald-san has a point around making clear there are cuts when there have been ones. How about following the OBR & Bank of England independence models and creating an 'Office for Military Readiness' or OMR. Chaired by ex-military senior officers. Board made up of same plus the usual suspects. T...

RetroSicotte wrote:I admit I've been away in Germany for the past half week, so my apologies if this has been noticed some pages back.

https://www.janes.com/article/82025/uk- ... eplacement

Great news. Just buy the NSMs with USN...

To paraphrase what the Iranians said few days ago: "Color me as not convinced" Nope - Google doesn't come up with anything for "Color me as not convinced" and Iran. Link please, so that we know what you're wibbling about this time. Dishonest, as well, to doctor my post, so as to...

To paraphrase what the Iranians said few days ago: "Color me as not convinced" Nope - Google doesn't come up with anything for "Color me as not convinced" and Iran. Link please, so that we know what you're wibbling about this time. Dishonest, as well, to doctor my post, so as to...

I can see what you are saying in that it is easier to have one out of three battalions kept at high readiness than when you only have two. But I suppose those who join the RM expect excitement so alternating between the two battalions will have to do. Unfortunately the other will still have to unde...

Well said. If you want an example of disasterous defence procurement programme, you don't have to look any further than Ajax. It wouldn't be anywhere near the top though. It's actually delivering a product, one that is needed and that will (probably) satisfy the users. Compared to all of the other ...

I'm not talking about landing of whole Commando Brigade ( that was allways a wartime stuff, a la Falklands, with STUFT and other wartime-appropriate things ). I am talking about force generation, where 3 active Commandos are much better to give one battalion in high readyness than two. And that's a ...

Caribbean wrote:It’s going to be, a credible frigate

To paraphrase what the Iranians said few days ago: "Color me as not convinced"

You can, but not as easy as out of three. That's the same thing like saying that the RN can do with just 8 frigates- yes, but not like with 13. Or with 7 submarines instead of 12 etc. And then you have 10 months deployments and similar things- and then you wonder why there's no enough fools to beco...

So no, three is not the minimum, we can generate an operational battalion out of two. You can, but not as easy as out of three. That's the same thing like saying that the RN can do with just 8 frigates- yes, but not like with 13. Or with 7 submarines instead of 12 etc. And then you have 10 months d...