Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Contains threads on Royal Navy equipment of the past, present and future.
Ron5
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Ron5 »

jonas wrote:Parliamentary answers 22nd Oct 2021 :-

https://questions-statements.parliament ... 0-19/58892
I would think that the national shipbuilding strategy would provide the answer rather than trying to find the lowest bidder ...

... who usually overruns and has to be bailed out with extra cash.

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

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

Post by ETH »

KiwiMuzz wrote:
dmereifield wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but how could the solution be to buy more F35B?
I think the inference is that F35 has such significant capabilities in terms of radar, electronic warfare, and data-linking/networking that they could feasibly remove the need for a separate ASaC platform.
They can’t. Fighter radars and AEW radars are fundamentally different. An F35 can augment AEW/ASaC but cannot replace it.

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

Post by ETH »

seaspear wrote:I'm afraid you have a few things mixed up. It is the location of the Sampson radar on the T45s that provides an advantage, not that of the S1850. But that advantage is for sea-skimming anti-ship missiles, not ballistic missiles.
I appreciate the correction but my basic question remains can a sensor upgrade that has the ability to track at a very long-range inbound ballistic missiles or hypersonic missiles be a requirement for the carriers which may be the target of such threats
Apologies for the late reply but yes, the ability to track ballistic and hypersonic missiles is a growing requirement for current shipborne radars. However, the ships to receive these upgrades will be the Type 45s, not the carriers (because it is Sampson, the premier Fire Control/Multi-Function Radar which will be upgraded and without the ability to transmit real-time fire control data the carriers would not be able to shoot back should they detect a ballistic missile).

The UK was aware of this 20 years ago and hence begun focusing on ballistic missile defence applications of the Sampson radar (MESAR2 at the time) before it had even been fitted on a ship. Sampson has been tested in a ballistic missile defence role multiple times through the past decade at Formidable Shield exercises and At Sea Demonstrations in conjunction with the US. Sampson is expected to be upgraded for Ballistic Missile Defence in 2024 or shortly after.

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

Post by seaspear »

Thanks for the reply but I was trying to understand if a radar system that could detect a ballistic missile but had no missiles of its own could pass such data to an escorting ship that did via a sensor network
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... her-172512

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

Post by ETH »

seaspear wrote:Thanks for the reply but I was trying to understand if a radar system that could detect a ballistic missile but had no missiles of its own could pass such data to an escorting ship that did via a sensor network
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... her-172512
It depends on the navy and on what ships. For the US, they’re developing Co-operative Engagement Capability (and through that network Naval Integrated Fire Control - Counter Air). This is the ability to network all of the sensors and shooters together like you speak of, so a radar on a carrier could detect a missile and transmit the data to a ship with available interceptors to shoot it down.

Unfortunately, the UK failed to invest in such a capability and so now has essentially no comparative system to CEC. Royal Navy ships are equipped with data links like Link 11/16/22 although these are only good for voice/text communications and basic tracking/location data (not a high enough data rate for real-time raw target data to be transferred).

There was an investigation into purchasing the US’ CEC system in the early 2000s and installing it on the Type 23s/Type 45s. In fact, it was the justification given for reducing the number of Type 45s from 8 to 6. They even went as far as installing a test system on HMS Duncan (the 4 flat panels just below the Sampson radome on her foremast), however that is now non-functional and the CEC upgrade was cancelled.

I believe CEC is still an aspiration for the Royal Navy in the future (and an absolute must-have if you ask me). In fact, if you look at the cutouts on the first Type 26’s mast, some do look similar in size and proportion to the CEC antennas used by the US and seen on HMS Duncan.

Ron5
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

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ETH wrote:
KiwiMuzz wrote:
dmereifield wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but how could the solution be to buy more F35B?
I think the inference is that F35 has such significant capabilities in terms of radar, electronic warfare, and data-linking/networking that they could feasibly remove the need for a separate ASaC platform.
They can’t. Fighter radars and AEW radars are fundamentally different. An F35 can augment AEW/ASaC but cannot replace it.
Plus where does the fighter controller sit in the F-35?

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

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Type 26 masts ..

Image

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Timmymagic »

seaspear wrote:Thanks for the reply but I was trying to understand if a radar system that could detect a ballistic missile but had no missiles of its own could pass such data to an escorting ship that did via a sensor network
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... her-172512
In essense thats exactly what Aegis does. Handoff of tracking ballistic targets has been done by T45's and De Zeven Provincien Class ships to US vessels off the Hebrides and an age ago in the Pacific.

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

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Image

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

Post by ETH »

Timmymagic wrote:
seaspear wrote:Thanks for the reply but I was trying to understand if a radar system that could detect a ballistic missile but had no missiles of its own could pass such data to an escorting ship that did via a sensor network
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... her-172512
In essense thats exactly what Aegis does. Handoff of tracking ballistic targets has been done by T45's and De Zeven Provincien Class ships to US vessels off the Hebrides and an age ago in the Pacific.
AFAIK a Type 45 has never conducted any sort of Engage On Remote exercise because of a lack of real-time datalink capability (beyond the extremely restrictive Link 16), rather has been a participant for radar tracks only.

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

Post by ETH »

Ron5 wrote:Type 26 masts ..

Image

Image
Obviously neither model represents the final design. I’m intrigued by the square cutouts on the actual mast. CEC maybe? If so, there’s been no word of it.

The rectangular ones are for the same UAT Mod 2 RESM receivers that are in service now, that much is clear.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by donald_of_tokyo »

We can see Crowsnest on QNLZ deck at the photo named as "HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives in Changi Naval Base on 11th October (Photo: Sgt. Petronilla).", in the middle of the article.

https://www.navylookout.com/photo-essay ... abian-sea/

Image

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by rbeedall »

Comparing the high profile embarkation of the 3 Crowsnest Merlin's on 27 April with the subsequent official near silence certainly tells a tale. In all the hundreds of photos of CSG21, I've spotted Merlin ASaCs in only a handful - and none flying. It seems to safe to predict that the pre-IOC deployment has not been a success - although no doubt a lot of lessons have been learnt! Assuming that the Crowsnest FOC is still reached in 2023, the out of service date of 2029 (if still correct) indicates that the Crowsnest problems/limitations are now considered to serious and fundamental to be satisfactory resolved. The 2015 procurement decision now looks increasingly penny-wise but pound foolish.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

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Not actually “Parked on Deck”, but “On the Aft Lift (Elevator)”, so on the move from or to the Hangar Deck. :mrgreen:

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

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by xav »

ICYMI (from the Japanese thread)


BAE Systems Eager To Share Aircraft Carrier Know-How With Japan
Image
On October 12, 2021, BAE Systems held a press conference for the Japanese media, where they announced the establishment of a local corporation in Japan. The establishment of this corporation is expected to take place by the end of this year or early next year. The press conference focused for the most part on the company's role in the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers program and the integration of F-35 on the aircraft carriers...
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... -carriers/

3/4 of the media briefing (and its presentation) was about QEC and F-35 integration on the carriers...

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Ron5 »

Better not tell them the RAF cancelled the SRVL testing :(

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

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Ron5 wrote:Better not tell them the RAF cancelled the SRVL testing :(
Really? Is there actual proof of that ? Pretty shit if they did.

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

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Dahedd wrote:
Ron5 wrote:Better not tell them the RAF cancelled the SRVL testing :(
Really? Is there actual proof of that ? Pretty shit if they did.
Have you seen any?

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

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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by bobp »

Short video on BBC about carrier life....



And I heard that the F35B have flown home to Marham.

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Scimitar54
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Re: Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers - News and Discussion

Post by Scimitar54 »

USMC F35Bs as well ? :mrgreen:


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

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

CEPP has come to include landhubs as well. DefSec mentioned more announcements 'soon to come'.
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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