Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Contains threads on Royal Navy equipment of the past, present and future.
Roders96
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Roders96 »

SKB wrote:Now if QE had a single island with all that air ducting and trunking from two marine jet turbines to one island and funnel, her internal volume would be less. Maybe even a bit of floorspace might become lost or unusble with a decreased ceiling height too. Twin islands really do save space, at least below the flightdeck.
Tbh making the hanger deck 1m taller to compensate the ducting could possibly be worth a single island + extra parking spots / other benefits.

Then again, plugging in an extra 4.5m high hanger under the current could be worth it also.

Timmymagic
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Timmymagic »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Any word on SRVL for the latest deployment? Surely with the amount of Daves they had on board, they must have tried something. I’ve seen no video or reports about it.
Same here. Not a sausage I'm afraid.

inch
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by inch »

Problem roders96 time and aspersions of crew accomodation has moved on and they don't want to be packed in 500 to a shoebox so more room needed for crew and less for hangar space I quess

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SKB
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SKB »


(NavyLookout) 23rd November 2019
UK F-35B Lightnings have disembarked on completion of the first phase of operational tests onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in the USA. This 5-week period has been a significant, and historic step towards their first operational deployment together in 2021. The test period included further flying with USMC F-35Bs. Leading Photographer Dan Shepherd captured the adrenaline-fuelled action onboard.

Roders96
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Roders96 »

Well she's 56m tall atm. Why not make her 60.5? Surely the steel wouldn't cost that much?

Jake1992
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Jake1992 »

Roders96 wrote:Well she's 56m tall atm. Why not make her 60.5? Surely the steel wouldn't cost that much?
Isn’t the hight at the max it can be to get under the forth bridge ?

As I understand it the reason she wasn’t built any larger in hight width and I believe even length was not so much due to money but more due to where she was being built.

Hight was limited due to the bridge
Width due to entrance to the basin ( only 1 wider than QE is at water line )
Length due to the size of the dry dock ( though I think she could of been up to 300m but no more )

Roders96
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Roders96 »

Jake1992 wrote:
Roders96 wrote:Well she's 56m tall atm. Why not make her 60.5? Surely the steel wouldn't cost that much?
Isn’t the hight at the max it can be to get under the forth bridge ?

As I understand it the reason she wasn’t built any larger in hight width and I believe even length was not so much due to money but more due to where she was being built.

Hight was limited due to the bridge
Width due to entrance to the basin ( only 1 wider than QE is at water line )
Length due to the size of the dry dock ( though I think she could of been up to 300m but no more )
It is so completely irritating that the only reason she was limited in this way is because Gordon Brown the then chancellor was the MP for the rosyth shipyard when she was approved.

It is even more irritating that the chancellor + shipyard combination is probably the only reason she was built at all.

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The Armchair Soldier
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

SKB wrote:
(TheSgbarter) 20th November 2019
HMS Queen Elizabeth anchored in the Chesapeake Bay outside Annapolis, Maryland, USA. The Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier visited the area to host the Defense and Security Trade exhibition and the 2019 Atlantic Future Forum.
Part Two:


albedo
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by albedo »

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news ... -sgd7zmk3p

This story keeps resurfacing. (Sorry, I don't have a subscription so can only post the link to the introductory paras.)

Wrekin1410
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Wrekin1410 »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Any word on SRVL for the latest deployment? Surely with the amount of Daves they had on board, they must have tried something. I’ve seen no video or reports about it.
Been wondering that as well. Looking at the overhead photo of the double RAS (maybe SKB or someone could add the photo without having to repost the whole tweet) it looks as though there are some tyre skid marks that could be from SRVL’s. However there are very few and might, of course, be unrelated but do seem similar to those left during Westlant18. I’m assuming last year’s marks had been removed this year prior to Westlant19 commencing.

But it does look as though there has either been no or very little SRVL activity. Perhaps it wasn’t planned this time or there is more work to be done with the simulation training and/or actual software following last year’s trials which means they are currently reluctant to let operational and not test pilots loose with it yet?

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SKB
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SKB »

Wrekin1410 wrote:(maybe SKB or someone could add the photo without having to repost the whole tweet)
This one?
Image

Wrekin1410
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Wrekin1410 »

SKB wrote:
Wrekin1410 wrote:(maybe SKB or someone could add the photo without having to repost the whole tweet)
This one?

No, there’s one taken from above and behind and much better picture quality. It’s much easier to zoom in.

Thanks for helping :)

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SKB
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

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Wrekin1410 wrote:
Or this?
Image

Wrekin1410
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Wrekin1410 »

SKB wrote:
Wrekin1410 wrote:
Or this?

No, there’s one with all 3 ships. Taken From behind like this but with a much higher elevation. I can see it in a tweet by Think Defence from two days ago

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Jake1992 »

A question Iv been wondering is in regards to the 9 ASW merlins that are to be part of the CSG are these all 9 on the QE in addition to the 2 on the T23/26 or including the ones on the escorts ?

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Aethulwulf »

Jake1992 wrote:A question Iv been wondering is in regards to the 9 ASW merlins that are to be part of the CSG are these all 9 on the QE in addition to the 2 on the T23/26 or including the ones on the escorts ?
Neither. If 9 ASW Merlins are part of the CSG, all 9 will be on a QEC and the T23/26 escorts will most likely have Wildcats on board.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Jake1992 »

Aethulwulf wrote:
Jake1992 wrote:A question Iv been wondering is in regards to the 9 ASW merlins that are to be part of the CSG are these all 9 on the QE in addition to the 2 on the T23/26 or including the ones on the escorts ?
Neither. If 9 ASW Merlins are part of the CSG, all 9 will be on a QEC and the T23/26 escorts will most likely have Wildcats on board.
But surely the T23/26 will need ASW merlins on board as they sprint ahead and drift behind the rest of the CSG so would be a good distance away from ASW merlins on the QE

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Aethulwulf »

Jake1992 wrote:
Aethulwulf wrote:
Jake1992 wrote:A question Iv been wondering is in regards to the 9 ASW merlins that are to be part of the CSG are these all 9 on the QE in addition to the 2 on the T23/26 or including the ones on the escorts ?
Neither. If 9 ASW Merlins are part of the CSG, all 9 will be on a QEC and the T23/26 escorts will most likely have Wildcats on board.
But surely the T23/26 will need ASW merlins on board as they sprint ahead and drift behind the rest of the CSG so would be a good distance away from ASW merlins on the QE
Nope.

Although the T23/26 will be quite some distance from the QEC, it will still not be significant in terms of the range and speed of the Merlin. With a force of 9 ASW Merlin, some will always be in the air ahead of the ASW escorts.

Blackstone
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Blackstone »

They could also lily-pad off the escorts, fueling mid-mission from a Frigate while the carrier continues Lighting ops or whatever else.

Timmymagic
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Timmymagic »

Jake1992 wrote:A question Iv been wondering is in regards to the 9 ASW merlins that are to be part of the CSG are these all 9 on the QE in addition to the 2 on the T23/26 or including the ones on the escorts ?
Realistically if there are 8-9 Merlin HM.2 on ASW duties and 4-5 Merlin Crowsnest thats not far off the full Merlin fleet that we could put to sea. There are 'only' 25 Merlin HM.2 that are ready for ops at any one time, and some will be training or trials or on single ship deployments. If we could actually get PoW to sea in the future with some F-35B onboard we couldn't actually give it enough Merlin to protect itself, something that everyone needs to remember when looking at F-35B fleet size. There wouldn't be enough Crowsnest kits either. Moneys tight but the most pressing need for the RN is getting those 8 Merlin HM.1 updated and back in the fleet. Even if they just went into the depth fleet it would increase numbers available by c5 at any one time.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SW1 »

Timmymagic wrote:Realistically if there are 8-9 Merlin HM.2 on ASW duties and 4-5 Merlin Crowsnest thats not far off the full Merlin fleet that we could put to sea
I would think you’ll find if you put that many merlins on a carrier there would be nothing left for anything else including ships flights. I would guess if you put 9 merlin on a carrier and assigned as normal to CASD your at max effort. how long it would take to reconstitute the force to be able to deploy again another issue. Merlin asw force probably needs to be at least 50% bigger again than what it is today.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Tempest414 »

Timmymagic wrote:Moneys tight but the most pressing need for the RN is getting those 8 Merlin HM.1 updated and back in the fleet. Even if they just went into the depth fleet it would increase numbers available by c5 at any one time.
I agree even if they just fitted for Crowsnest it would be a big step

for me what we need to get 2 carriers up and running is

4 squadrons of F-35 with 10 jets each 2 x RAF and 2 x FAA allowing 10 jets for each carrier supported by USMC or RAF jets
4 squadrons of Merlin 3 ASW and 1 AEW allowing each ASW unit to deploy with 8 aircraft and the AEW unit with 4 aircraft

this could allow HMS QE to deploy in year 1 with 20 jets 10 UK 10 US plus 8 ASW and 4 AEW helicopters plus Wildcats on the escorts and in year 2 HMS PoW to deploy with 10 jets 8 ASW , 4 AEW and 12 HC4 Helicopters plus wildcats on the escorts. Or if needed Carrier could carry 30 jets 20 UK and 10 US

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SKB »

I have discovered that double decker buses have been a standard unit of aircraft carrier measurement since the days of HMS Eagle. :mrgreen:


Timmymagic
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Timmymagic »

SW1 wrote:I would think you’ll find if you put that many merlins on a carrier there would be nothing left for anything else including ships flights. I would guess if you put 9 merlin on a carrier and assigned as normal to CASD your at max effort. how long it would take to reconstitute the force to be able to deploy again another issue. Merlin asw force probably needs to be at least 50% bigger again than what it is today.
Fleet size is 30, with 5 usually in maintenance. So 25 left over. Stick 15 on the CSG and you're left with 10. 1 on TAPS, 3-4 on training trials etc and for a short time you could probably get 3-5 on ships. But thats why getting the 8 HM.1's back should be a priority. Get them back and we'd have enough to fill one CSG and the T26 that are operational (c.5-6 ships at one time). Without them we're robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Oh for £500m and a time machine to go back and buy the VH-71 specifically for Crowsnest...mind you we could still buy the 4 Merlin ASH from the Italians as they appear to be permanently hangared like the Shawbury 8...

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by PhillyJ »

Just for info, PWLS is due to do another cold move back to PRJ and go Bows South tomorrow morning, not sure on timings though.

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