Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Contains threads on Royal Navy equipment of the past, present and future.
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cockneyjock1974
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by cockneyjock1974 »

Spoke to a senior RAF officer at last years Remembrance Day, who was the bastion of OPSEC, couldn’t get any scoops from him. What he did offer to me after a few beers was that in his personal opinion the F35 negated the need for Poseidon. Still getting my head around this.

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

Post by Aethulwulf »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Spoke to a senior RAF officer at last years Remembrance Day, who was the bastion of OPSEC, couldn’t get any scoops from him. What he did offer to me after a few beers was that in his personal opinion the F35 negated the need for Poseidon. Still getting my head around this.
Hmmm, I was unaware of plans to fit F35s with sonar buoys and torpedoes.

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

Post by Dahedd »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:What he did offer to me after a few beers was that in his personal opinion the F35 negated the need for Poseidon. Still getting my head around this.
In an anti shipping role perhaps but I think he's had one sherry too many.

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cockneyjock1974
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by cockneyjock1974 »

I think it was more about as a sensor platform than hardware capabilities to be honest. It was just the strangest comment that struck me. Anyway most of us lot here will not know if he’s talking shite or not.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by abc123 »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Spoke to a senior RAF officer at last years Remembrance Day, who was the bastion of OPSEC, couldn’t get any scoops from him. What he did offer to me after a few beers was that in his personal opinion the F35 negated the need for Poseidon. Still getting my head around this.
I presume that if you have spoken with a RAF officers 40-50 years ago he would tell you that TSR-2 negates any need for carrier aviation or 10 years ago that Tornado does the same trick too. :think:
Fortune favors brave sir, said Carrot cheerfully.
What's her position about heavily armed, well prepared and overmanned armies?
Oh, noone's ever heard of Fortune favoring them, sir.
According to General Tacticus, it's because they favor themselves…

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cockneyjock1974
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by cockneyjock1974 »

Made a massive boob folks it wasn’t Poseidon it was the Wedgetail.

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

Post by SKB »

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(@NavyLookout) 24 September 2019
@NavyLookout wrote:Two Royal Navy aircraft carriers at sea simultaneously yesterday.
@HMSQNLZ in the Western Atlantic #Westlant19.
@HMSPWLS on sea trials off the Scottish coast #PWLSatSea.

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

Post by SKB »

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HMS Northumberland manoeuvres hard while escorting HMS Queen Elizabeth
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The birth of the UK Carrier Strike Group… #Westlant19
NOTE: This is not an operational deployment.
UKCSG in 2021 will include QE with 2 x F35 squadrons, 2 x Destroyers, 2 x frigates and an SSN
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Officer of the watch manoeuvres
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Fine aerial photo @RFATideforce. Providing fuel to #Westlant19 and allied warships
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Playing chicken
(@NavyLookout) 24 September 2019

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

Post by SDL »

So many amazing shots...

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

Post by Blackstone »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Made a massive boob folks it wasn’t Poseidon it was the Wedgetail.
This opinion is known to lurk on this side of the pond as well, and at least shares some portion of the blame for the relatively lethargic pace of our own AWACs recap. That said, I still side with those who find a dedicated aircraft to be exceedingly useful in a range of situations.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by dmereifield »

SKB wrote:(@NavyLookout) 24 September 2019
"UKCSG in 2021 will include QE with 2 x F35 squadrons, 2 x Destroyers, 2 x frigates and an SSN"

Is that official? Presumably there will be a Tide and a stores ship too?

Will the UK have 2 front line F35B squadrons by then, or does this refer to 1 UK and 1 USMC?

Do we know anything about squadron sizes yet?

Will they be set at 12 units, or?

Whatever the answers to the above, I am very much looking forward to seeing the group deploy in 2021

Mod Edit - Try to avoid quoting huge numbers of pictures please. Play nice for those of us on mobile. :)

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

Post by inch »

If that's the UK escort group I wonder what other countries might tag along all the way ,think I mentioned I heard the Dutch might be coming I wonder who else?

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

Post by inch »

Just thought maybe the Danish as we just bought one of their class of design ships , show some love to the rn on their first big carrier deployment in years

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

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Fine aerial photo @RFATideforce.
Also shows v clearly the reason for a single (only) hangar
- would have thought that there is space to have a two-storey arrangement, so that another Merlin could be ferried (and launched) e.g. in circumstances when Apaches for LitM will have moved onshore and vacated space on the carrier. Just a thought. Would also be a backup for VertRep to continue, under all circumstances
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Timmymagic »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Made a massive boob folks it wasn’t Poseidon it was the Wedgetail.
I wonder if they're looking at all of the extreme long range air to air missiles that are designed to attack AEW and tankers and thinking about the long term viability of a large platform, particularly one that has to emit. It's probably safe for now, but you have to wonder about when and if those missiles begin to get proliferated. It feels like they're arriving just as distributed AEW becomes a feasible technical proposition (albeit with possibly a c10 year overlap).

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by PhillyJ »

Just had an update from my nipper, they have been out in a Sea State4 (moderate) and he said it was all fine and just felt like you were p*ssed, he is finally getting his sea legs :clap:

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cockneyjock1974
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by cockneyjock1974 »

Timmymagic wrote:I wonder if they're looking at all of the extreme long range air to air missiles that are designed to attack AEW and tankers and thinking about the long term viability of a large platform, particularly one that has to emit. It's probably safe for now, but you have to wonder about when and if those missiles begin to get proliferated. It feels like they're arriving just as distributed AEW becomes a feasible technical proposition (albeit with possibly a c10 year overlap).
Could be, he just felt the money should be spent on further F35 purchases. I know I’m delving slightly into the off topic arena but it kind of confirms that the F35 future EW availability and it’s networked sensors can make a highly effective AEW platform. Great for carrier ops, makes you wonder if Crowsnest was worth it.

He wouldn’t tell me if the RAF want a split buy of F35 or not, which is what I really wanted to know lol.

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

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

cockneyjock1974 wrote: confirms that the F35 future EW availability and it’s networked sensors can make a highly effective AEW platform. Great for carrier ops, makes you wonder if Crowsnest was worth it.
My view is that the F-35 will be great for a sensor/ shooter separation (helps with dispersal as well) in the RN - a direction which USN has strongly adopted
- specifically for (persistent) AEW Crowsnest will still be required
- 24/7 takes 4-7 a/c to maintain, depending on for how many days you want to continue at such high state of readiness
... how many sets was it that we are contracting for, again?
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SKB »

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^ USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by bobp »

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Could be, he just felt the money should be spent on further F35 purchases. I know I’m delving slightly into the off topic arena but it kind of confirms that the F35 future EW availability and it’s networked sensors can make a highly effective AEW platform. Great for carrier ops, makes you wonder if Crowsnest was worth it.
Cost per flying hour comes into play as well as airframe life. I imagine its more costly to keep an F35B up in the air than Crowsnest. Clearly there are not enough Merlins in service at the moment.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SW1 »

Having crowsnest on a helicopter of course allows you to enhance your airborne situational awareness without the need to have your aircraft carrier deployed.

Seems we keep talking about wanting distributed a/c ops, ships, intel gathering etc then purchase equipment that does the exact opposite and concentrate it into ever smaller numbers/locations.

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

Post by inch »

Will we get to hear if new carrier will do a higher top speed dash than qe on her trials or will it be all hush hush?

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Lord Jim »

MV-22s carrying out landing trails on board HMS Queen Elizabeth on the other side of the pond.
https://www.janes.com/article/91483/mv- ... -elizabeth

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

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Lord Jim wrote:https://www.janes.com/article/91483/mv- ... -elizabeth
The caption for the photo reads like it is a comment by Jane's and only the photo has "been sourced"?

"The RN has been anxious to further MV-22 integration on the QEC ships to establish the Osprey as a credible maritime intra-theatre lift solution. Source: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright "
- then again, the captain of QE was waxing lyrical about 'what a force multiplyer' a tanker version would be, not that long ago
- once you've got a few, they can be used for both, no doubt
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by SKB »


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(@RFATideforce) 25 September 2019
@RFATideforce wrote:Another stunning day for a RAS with @HMSQNLZ featuring an F18 fly past from our American friends.
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(@HMSNorthumberland) 25 September 2019
What a beautiful (and powerful) view of @HMSQNLZ this morning. Another day on station and another day for #Westlant19

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