UK Defence Forum

jcs1959 wrote: ↑02 Jun 2023, 18:17 Just to let you know, Col Kelly in fact a Royal Marine ex Harrier pilot who has been involved with the carrier strike group since the beginning. So no army involvement at all.

I unreservedly withdraw my comment. Apologies to the Colonel.

Might as well remove the ramp too....

Drawn by Suricata FX

SKB wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 17:33 Might as well remove the ramp too....

Drawn by Suricata FX

not the point

new guy wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 18:24

SKB wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 17:33 Might as well remove the ramp too....

Drawn by Suricata FX

not the point

I would tend to agree, perhaps at least get rid of the huge 12 degree launch ramp and replace it with a hydraulically rising 6 degree example (if possible) to create more space.

Considering the huge deck area, is it even needed now, could F35B's just use a longer take off run to achieve the same effect?

The additional deck area added plus the extra weight of the cats and traps will also mean a reballasting of the class, possibly taking the displacement up to 75,000 tons.

I believe the design takes into account successive redesigning and structural refits over the ships long 50 year life with an eye towards 85,000 max displacement.

mrclark303 wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 20:09 ….with an eye towards 85,000 max displacement.

We can’t do that. It would upset the French!

Poiuytrewq wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 20:16

mrclark303 wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 20:09 ….with an eye towards 85,000 max displacement.

We can’t do that. It would upset the French!

Not another European warship race!

Didn`t one of the very early designs have a ramp & a cat for a hawkeye AEW aircraft ? found it

There would be no need for that, if the French had remained committed to acquiring a QEC carrier for their PA2 !

Scimitar54 wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 21:13 There would be no need for that, if the French had remained committed to acquiring a QEC carrier for their PA2 !

As much as I hesitate to cooperate with the French, they missed out on a golden opportunity to build a second capable carrier at an affordable price, they really dropped the ball there....

They would however have mired the whole programme down with typical French Gaelic intransigence.

French demands for a 50% worshare etc, etc....

We probably dodged a bullet there.

As it is, their gold plated nuclear 85,000 ton PA2 super Carrier will probably end up unaffordable and either be cancelled or considerably scaled back in size and ambition.

I'm sure I remember the French wanting to build two ( of the 3 Cvf ) in their shipyards ...

Porte-Avions 2, (PA2), the French QE that never was.

Nice day to go down the hotwalls to watch her come in tomorrow, perhaps have a paddle in the sea!

She's back!

(@scottyc298)


(CobraEmergency) 8th June 2023

Nice pic of the new RFA ship in the foreground there.

Is she going to get painted grey or not?

SKB wrote: ↑09 Jun 2023, 18:01 Is she going to get painted grey or not?

I thought I read elsewhere not for the time being. And looking like a generic OSV is probably a bonus if you are loitering around the oil fields of the North Sea keeping a watch out.

Mid summer not late! The start of the PoW's first good chapter. 23' very interesting trials, 24' unknown, 25' CSG25.

Lets get her in the water and out into he ocean where she belongs.

I do believe that when she finally floats out she'll be coming direct to Pompey, which has pleased nipper as he was not looking forward to transporting 4 years worth of his tat from Rosyth!

Jdam wrote: ↑22 Jun 2023, 19:08 Lets get her in the water and out into he ocean where she belongs.

*and loaded with oodles of F-35.

[VIDEO] General Atomics #EMALS & AAG program update at #ParisAirShow 2023


Rolf Ziesing, V.P. Maritime Programs at GA EMS, discussed with us:


Current status of the program in the (with CVN 78, CVN 79, CVN 80 & CVN 81)

Latest with PANG

EMALS for Queen Elizabeth class carriers ?

Milestones aboard USS Gerald R. Ford

At HMS Collingwood open day yesterday with nipper and the rest of the family, looking at flooding up soon and back to Pompey early August, apparently.

Never a truer word said!

mrclark303 wrote: ↑05 Jun 2023, 15:20 They would however have mired the whole programme down with typical French Gaelic intransigence.

French demands for a 50% worshare etc, etc....

We probably dodged a bullet there.

new guy wrote: ↑22 Jun 2023, 18:08 Mid summer not late! The start of the PoW's first good chapter. 23' very interesting trials, 24' unknown, 25' CSG25.

Why didn't they take the opportunity to repaint beneath the waterline?
She'll be back in dock smartish, to have that sorted out too...