Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

[Poiuytrewq]

Welcome to the future!

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain ... e-carrier/

[dmereifield]

Welcome to the future!

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain ... e-carrier/

Fantastic stuff

[new guy]

Welcome to the future!

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain ... e-carrier/

Fantastic stuff

Absolutely amazing.

[new guy]

HMS QE moving out today exactly 1 week after POW.
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/khm/portsm ... 08/09/2023

[Anthony58]

Video here:

[Ian Hall]

... And now the RN's post.

[Anthony58]

Interesting it avoided the ski ramp and launched at a angle - advantages of a long deck, but perhaps adding an angled deck should be added to the wish list.

[xav]

Story by Dr Lee Willett:

The UK Royal Navy (RN) has flown an uncrewed air system (UAS) onto and off an aircraft carrier for the first time. The successful trial demonstrated new capability for the navy and a new approach to procurement.

https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/ds ... apability/

[Poiuytrewq]

It is the future but it should also be the future on the Albion replacements.

If it doesn’t happen the MRSS are going to be obsolescent before they are even commissioned.

[SW1]

How would they be planning to move supplies around a task group using that? It cant land on a frigate or stores ship can it? You could use a Malloy T400 today and land on all the ships with near double the payload.

Doubt you would be able to move stores from shore to the ship because it isn’t certified for use in civil airspace as far as I’m aware.

An interesting trial in you can land a fixed wing plane on an aircraft carrier but then again they landed an launched a islander on Hermes 45 years ago not sure why the big media blitz about it if I’m honest.

[shark bait]

The Navy should be aiming to scale up these fixed wing demonstrators to carry ISTAR payloads, and eventually replace crows nest.

For cargo deliveries VTOL seems like the better option, something that can be used across any ship in the fleet.

[Poiuytrewq]

The Navy should be aiming to scale up these fixed wing demonstrators to carry ISTAR payloads, and eventually replace crows nest.

For cargo deliveries VTOL seems like the better option, something that can be used across any ship in the fleet.

Agreed but a CVF launched/recovered Sea Guardian type capability should also be pursued asap to free up the Merlin fleet and reduce operating costs.

[new guy]

How would they be planning to move supplies around a task group using that? It cant land on a frigate or stores ship can it? You could use a Malloy T400 today and land on all the ships with near double the payload.

Long distance resupply of critical kit which could then be moved around the task group using other assets. The use case makes perfect sense to me, though the way they worded it was odd.

Doubt you would be able to move stores from shore to the ship because it isn’t certified for use in civil airspace as far as I’m aware.

Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time. No difference to a Reaper etc

An interesting trial in you can land a fixed wing plane on an aircraft carrier but then again they landed an launched a islander on Hermes 45 years ago not sure why the big media blitz about it if I’m honest.

Don’t remember anything apart from a Harrier that was fixed wing landing on an Invincible class. Isn’t it great to have large carries again and the options they bring

[Caribbean]

For cargo deliveries VTOL seems like the better option, something that can be used across any ship in the fleet.

For inter-ship transfers. or ship-to-shore, I agree, but fixed-wing, particularly if sufficiently scaled up, would be better for longer-distance transfers out to the carrier group. I see them as complementary

[Repulse]

It is the future but it should also be the future on the Albion replacements.

If it doesn’t happen the MRSS are going to be obsolescent before they are even commissioned.

No comment

A third flat-top would come in handy wouldn’t it.

[serge750]

Baby steps - but welcome, start cheap & cheerful, workout the bugs then progress to something truely useful

[SW1]

How would they be planning to move supplies around a task group using that? It cant land on a frigate or stores ship can it? You could use a Malloy T400 today and land on all the ships with near double the payload.

Long distance resupply of critical kit which could then be moved around the task group using other assets. The use case makes perfect sense to me, though the way they worded it was odd.

Doubt you would be able to move stores from shore to the ship because it isn’t certified for use in civil airspace as far as I’m aware.

Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time. No difference to a Reaper etc

An interesting trial in you can land a fixed wing plane on an aircraft carrier but then again they landed an launched a islander on Hermes 45 years ago not sure why the big media blitz about it if I’m honest.

Don’t remember anything apart from a Harrier that was fixed wing landing on an Invincible class. Isn’t it great to have large carries again and the options they bring

Long distance supply from where to where?

The money redesign and certification requirements to make these type of a/c fit for civil airspace is very significant not to mention require order of magnitude in payload scaling just ask the army and watchkeeper…

We seem to have becoming overexcited PR about rather trivial steps these days.

[Jackstar]

Long distance supply from where to where?

Anywhere from the 70km range of the T400 to 1,000 km it seems.

The money redesign and certification requirements to make these type of a/c fit for civil airspace is very significant not to mention require order of magnitude in payload scaling just ask the army and watchkeeper…

We seem to have becoming overexcited PR about rather trivial steps these days.

A bit more than PR don’t you think, proving the possible - getting this certified is a job that would need to be done but hardly insurmountable. With a large deck this just the first and looking forward to seeing much more.

[SW1]

Long distance supply from where to where?

Anywhere from the 70km range of the T400 to 1,000 km it seems.

The money redesign and certification requirements to make these type of a/c fit for civil airspace is very significant not to mention require order of magnitude in payload scaling just ask the army and watchkeeper…

We seem to have becoming overexcited PR about rather trivial steps these days.

A bit more than PR don’t you think, proving the possible - getting this certified is a job that would need to be done but hardly insurmountable. With a large deck this just the first and looking forward to seeing much more.

Do ships spread out in the task group that far? Range is great unless you can’t use it outside of closed airspace.

Nope I don’t.

[Poiuytrewq]

A third flat-top would come in handy wouldn’t it.

Not as useful as 3x LHDs and a handful of escorts for the same price.

[Poiuytrewq]

We seem to have becoming overexcited PR about rather trivial steps these days.

When Mojave is shown to safely operate from the CVFs it will be far from trivial it will be revolutionary.

[Jackstar]

[bobp]

[bobp]

[Repulse]

Do ships spread out in the task group that far?

As said, the immediate use case is landing critical supplies on the carrier that can then be distributed by carrier or VTOL UAV short distances between the ships.

Range is great unless you can’t use it outside of closed airspace.

UAVs are as vulnerable, and apply to the same airspace rules as any other aircraft, but Ukraine has shown that they can still operate in a war.
zone.