Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

[S M H]

It's more the case of clearing the ramp for future use if we decide to acquire the gun pod for our f 35s. I suspect we will procure them eventually like we did with the phantoms two years after there procurement. But if they are needed there will be a uor procurement. I

[SW1]

Was this posted before?

No and a good pic. But it makes me think that nothing has been learnt from the past build a plane without a gun then down the line it needs a gun pod started with the Phantom and there we are 60 years doing the same oh well

Nothing to do with learning from the past. f35b originally had an integral gun but Stovl weight attack team removed it because it would be unable to recover vertically in certain conditions and meet kpi’s and so the podded option was taken.

[Max Jones]

No and a good pic. But it makes me think that nothing has been learnt from the past build a plane without a gun then down the line it needs a gun pod started with the Phantom and there we are 60 years doing the same oh well

The reasons a gunned would be beneficial to the F-35B are not the same reasons it was needed on the Phantom. Those were for dogfighting - there is no situation where they would be needed.

A Phantom might have launched a couple AIM-7s from 5-20km. If these failed it had AIM-9s for shorter range. The issue with the philosophy was that sometimes the missiles would fail or the enemy jets would close into too close a range. That is possible from within a few kilometres.

There is no reason at all that an F-35 - a stealth aircraft that relies on its stealth component as the core benefit of its design - should ever come anywhere near that close to an enemy combat aircraft. It's concerning if it is even within 20km.

Gunpods would be helpful, but not for dogfighting because the jet is as good as dead if its expected to be used at those ranges but instead it is helpful for low level ground attack missions where guided bombs and missiles are overkill. Even if we had gun pods they wouldn't be carried on air-combat missions.

You are right that they are needed and this was a lesson learned in the past (with the Sea Harriers in Sierra Leone) but it has nothing to do with Phantoms and their need for them in air to air combat. Only a minor correction overall but it's worth considering when it impacts the entire relevance of the system.

[seaspear]

the Phantom in Vietnam was considered at a disadvantage in combat withMiigs until the addition of cannon
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-b ... e%20cannon.
Certainly, the use of cannon against a U.A.V would be cheaper than a missile , here I'm coming up with a scenario that's unlikely though possible

[Tempest414]

Until lasers can take over from the gun any fighter tasked with the job of fleet defence needs a gun full stop any and every fighter pilot I have ever spoken to has told me the the same and I have spoken to a lot. And given the gun is podded on the B will take away stealth. And the Phantom was the start of this thinking that guns were not needed due to missile tec in the 60's this thinking has always been proven wrong in combat to date

[ArmChairCivvy]

Considering the ammo (and not a lot of it is carried)
"The Nammo 25 mm PGU-47/U APEX projectile has been developed for the GAU-22/A. It features a tungsten carbide penetrator in the tip and an explosive fragmentation body, to be multi-purpose against both hardened and soft targets."
one could imagine that ground targets were primarily guiding the spec (though a/c with alu skins would count as soft targets; perhaps the Frogfoot design has some armour, but I doubt a stealth fighter was specced with those as targets in mind)

[SKB]

Why is the DoD still calling the F-35B a "Joint Strike Fighter" when that old designation was dropped for "Lightning II" instead years ago ?

[Repulse]

Why is the DoD still calling the F-35B a "Joint Strike Fighter" when that old designation was dropped for "Lightning II" instead years ago ?

Getting ready for a rename to “Sea Lightning”?!

[ArmChairCivvy]

Joint Strike Fighter

USAF, Navy (& the Marines)
oops, the Army is not supposed to have fixed-wing a/c and the Space Command may or may not have one U2 in inventory
... the 'job' was clearly left only 'half done'

[Bring Deeps]

Not a lot new here but at the end a bit about USN involvement in next year's deployment.

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press ... 015779853/

[bobp]

More news from QE........

[Ron5]

I do like this picture, thanks Bob.

[Ron5]

Why is the DoD still calling the F-35B a "Joint Strike Fighter" when that old designation was dropped for "Lightning II" instead years ago ?

Very stressful flying those beggars, need to relax somehow.

[bobp]

I do like this picture, thanks Bob.

Yes I like it too

[albedo]

Preferred the one with the tug in the foreground myself. The composition, lighting and sky almost look like a painting - quite artistic. Could see that one winning a prize. Shame that it doesn't seem to be at v high resolution.

[bobp]

HMS POW sitting pretty in Portsmouth....

[Aethulwulf]

Short BBC report from onboard QE...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-54411984

[BlueD954]

If you don't have guns, how do you shoot down suicide drones or suicide planes? Are the layered missile defences good enough?

[SKB]

(@HMSQNLZ) 4th October 2020

As the sun sets, we will rise at its dawn to lead the UK Carrier Strike Group into NATO's biggest yearly exercise, #JW202.
9 ships, 27 aircraft, 3,000 personnel.

[BlueD954]

Not a lot new here but at the end a bit about USN involvement in next year's deployment.

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press ... 015779853/

Hmm, USS The Sullivans, Flight 1 AB-class, means no hangar, no flight deck but Harpoon missiles and extra AAW coverage and Tomahawks.

[Jensy]

It has begun....

Royal Navy Video:


Freeze frames (not exactly the finest quality, but hopefully a taster for more to come!):

[Roders96]

I do hope there's a film crew onboard for the next Britain's Biggest Warship

[seaspear]

What chance a deployment on a Rimpac exercise

[Roders96]

Best chance of 50 jets on deck

[cyrilranch]

What chance a deployment on a Rimpac exercise

Most likely as part of her tour of asia and oz next year