RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Add your posts about Royal Navy ships in this section
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Aircraft carriers to be supported by new logistics facility


A new Royal Navy logistics centre in Portsmouth - dedicated to crucial maintenance for the QEC aircraft carriers – has been officially opened today.

See - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/airc ... s-facility
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Pelican wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:12 pm Aircraft carriers to be supported by new logistics facility


A new Royal Navy logistics centre in Portsmouth - dedicated to crucial maintenance for the QEC aircraft carriers – has been officially opened today.

See - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/airc ... s-facility
Final piece of the carrier support jigsaw completed in Portsmouth.

£7M Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier Logistic Support Centre officially opened yesterday. Can hold up to 2,600 pallets of stores.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Could Maritime Protector RPAS operate from Royal Navy aircraft carriers?


In May 2022 General Atomics announced they had developed a Short-Takeoff and Landing (STOL) option for their MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). This opens up the possibility of operating from aircraft carriers and here we look at this possibility in the context of the RN’s Future Maritime Aviation Force (FMAF) concept.

Protector
The RAF will take delivery of its first Protector, a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) this year and should achive Full Operating Capability by 2024. Protector is a modified MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAV made by General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems-Inc (GA-ASI) and will be used for armed ISTAR, carrying Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV Laser Guided Bombs. 16 Protectors will replace the legacy Reaper fleet and the UK contract with GA includes the option for a further 13.

As part of the FMAF, the RN envisions operating a land-based Maritime Protector variant. GA has developed the SeaGuardian derivative of the MQ-9B with a range of 6,000nm, able to stay on station for up to 25 hours, it has nine hard-points for a sensor or weapon payload of up to 2,100 kg. SeaGuardian can be equipped with a variety of maritime radar and EO sensors and even conduct ASW when equipped with a sonobuoy dispenser. Whether the UK will purchase SeaGuardian for this requirement is unclear for now but with Protector already in service, it would make sense as there would be commonality of logistic support and training. Although a US-made product, the Protector deal includes the involvement of British industry. For example, Isle of Wight-based GKN Aerospace now manufactures the V-tails for all MQ-9B variants.

Continues, including photos and images, at - https://www.navylookout.com/could-marit ... -carriers/
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

MOD Gibraltar

Has applied for permission to dredge Gibraltar harbour to allow the QEC aircraft carriers to berth at South Mole.
During previous visits they have come alongside the outside of the Western Berth due to draught restrictions.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Passenger Transfer Boat Buccaneer (nominally belonging to HMS QNLZ at the stern platform of
HMS PWLS
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Navy Lookout

Hatchet job on the RN aircraft carriers by notorious polemicist Lewis Page - should have bought F-18s, CATOBAR carriers etc. Mostly misguided and factuality inaccurate in places.

See: How 13 Whitehall mandarins crippled Britain’s aircraft carriers
Disastrous chain of events weakened the UK’s most critical defence system – but there is a remedy
And - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... -carriers/


Navy Lookout

A balanced view:
Cats, traps and claptrap. Why the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers operate VSTOL aircraft
See, if you have not seen it before, at - https://www.navylookout.com/cats-traps- ... -aircraft/
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Pelican wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 2:03 pm Navy Lookout

Hatchet job on the RN aircraft carriers by notorious polemicist Lewis Page - should have bought F-18s, CATOBAR carriers etc. Mostly misguided and factuality inaccurate in places.

See: How 13 Whitehall mandarins crippled Britain’s aircraft carriers
Disastrous chain of events weakened the UK’s most critical defence system – but there is a remedy
And - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... -carriers/


Navy Lookout

A balanced view:
Cats, traps and claptrap. Why the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers operate VSTOL aircraft
See, if you have not seen it before, at - https://www.navylookout.com/cats-traps- ... -aircraft/
Challenging The Stupid. Thoughts on Lewis Pages Latest Drivel

One of the challenges of trying to write a Defence blog over 10 years is that there can be periods when not much is going on, and its hard to work out what subject to write about. The summer period is, usually, particularly hard to cover as leave and the lack of major announcements means Defence doesn’t get much press. The summer silly season though can sometimes throw up an article of such breath-taking stupidity that you don’t know where to begin.

The winner of the annual prize for “worst and most irrelevant rambling article on Defence in 2022” can without doubt be awarded now to Lewis Page for his efforts in the Daily Telegraph. In an article which appears to combine factual inaccuracy, hyperbole and a level of conspiracy associated with the Roswell Landings, and crafted while in a manner that was jokingly described on social media as appearing as if the author appeared to have been sniffing glue, we learn about how 13 ‘mandarins’ took a decision in total secrecy to keep the RN carrier force as STOVL not CTOL and this is apparently a bad thing, as the UK couldn’t buy F18 or Rafale.

In a long wandering diatribe the article attacks the Civil Service for hiding briefings from Ministers, it attacks the Royal Navy for not buying a CTOL carrier, it attacks the RAF for operating Typhoon (which is apparently not a British Aircraft but partly American) and suggests that the UK should apparently be flying the F18 – oh and BAE Systems are ‘bad’ for ‘reasons’. As a piece of modern creative writing, submitted under a earnestly flippant title like “the dreams I have while I am high as a kite” it would do well. As a serious piece of credible journalism, it fails.

It is difficult to write about an article written by Lewis Page without establishing some facts. Firstly, Lewis likes to describe himself as a ‘defence expert’. His military experience topped out as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, before taking PWO course and not having done any staff training or joint operations. Within a very narrow frame of exposure (namely the MCM world) and in a very specific timeframe, Lewis undoubtedly has experience, albeit which is now badly out of date. He then wrote a book which excited quite a few people, but which relied on stereotypes, rumours and gossip rather than facts for the most part about Defence. This rather limited CV does beg the question as to how one can describe oneself as an expert in Defence – given that Lewis has had a very limited experience and exposure of the work of Defence and in particular strategic decision making.

The key thrust of the article seems to be that the Royal Navy needs conventional carriers and that the nasty Civil Service stopped this from happening and we’re now lumbered with the wrong jet and things would have been oh so much better if we’d done what I wanted instead…

The story of the QUEEN ELIZABETH class and its gestation is a fascinating one, and the truth bears little resemblance to what has been put forward in the article. In its gestation period in the early 1990s, when the RN began studies into what became the CVF, a variety of designs were looked at as part of the requirement process. This is entirely normal – to discount the unlikely, and work out the best platform that would meet the requirement.

Continues at - https://thinpinstripedline.blogspot.com ... zGuJb_uAi0
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Dressed overall for Falklands reception.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Farnborough 2022: IAI developing Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier-capable Heron UAS
IAI is exploring the capability of its Heron UAS to fly from aircraft carriers, making the most of its ability to take off and land on short runways.
See - https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air- ... heron-uas/


MoD has awarded Leonardo UK £60 million 4-year contract to design & develop a 3-tonne Rotary-Wing Uncrewed System (RWUAS).
Part of Project PROTEUS capable of hunting submarines via sonobuoy / dipping sonar to supplement Merlin Mk2
See video at - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 5177133056

Leonardo trialled the SW-4 Solo RWUAS technology demonstrator as long ago as 2015.
See photo at - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 20/photo/1


Wildcat-based concept c2017


P.S.

UK to develop unmanned anti-submarine helicopter

An unmanned helicopter demonstrator aircraft will be designed and developed in a £60 million contract awarded to Leonardo.
The image above is a file image showing an American equivalent, the MQ-8C.
[See - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_ ... Fire_Scout ]

The Ministry of Defence say the purpose is to test the viability of larger uncrewed aircraft for the Royal Navy, the three-tonne demonstrator – less than a fifth of the weight of a Merlin helicopter – is expected to provide an alternative to existing aircraft for tracking adversary submarines.

“Trials will test the capability of the aircraft to drop “sonobuoys” – small tube-shaped buoys that track and communicate submarine activity – enabling the aircraft to alert a crewed helicopter and call for support if a submarine is located. Designed to operate at lower cost than crewed aircraft, capabilities derived from the demonstrator could also reduce the exposure of Royal Navy personnel to hostile threats.”

The move will free up existing Merlin helicoters.

“If successful, the new aircraft would provide a platform capable of delivering improved surveillance and intelligence, enabling crewed Royal Navy helicopters to re-deploy on alternative missions if required and bolstering UK defence capability.

Capable of carrying a large payload, combined with the ability to operate in harsh environmental conditions, the aircraft could also demonstrate its utility across a range of requirements. Beyond Anti-Submarine Warfare, the project will address other potential uses including ship to ship resupply and casualty evacuation.”

Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin, said:
“The global threat is changing, and it is crucial we remain at the forefront of defence innovation. Exploring cutting-edge, new defence capabilities through programmes with key British manufacturers, will help to ensure our Armed Forces are equipped to deal with the latest threats.”

Director Develop Royal Navy, Rear Admiral James Parkin, said:
“Proving the benefits of larger uncrewed aircraft (rotary and fixed wing) will be key to understanding whether such aircraft can effectively contribute to future Royal Navy capabilities, particularly for Anti-Submarine Warfare.”

Sir Simon Bollom, DE&S CEO, said:
Our team were able to make use of a novel and agile delivery approach to ensure that we can accelerate potential new technologies through to the demonstration phase so that they can be delivered into the hands of the UK Armed Forces at the earliest opportunity if required.

The uncrewed helicopter is due to undertake its first flight in 2025.

Source UKDJ
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
User avatar
Pelican
Posts: 9734
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Re: RN Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

Unread post by Pelican »

Just to give an idea of the size of the hangars on the Q.E.C. - https://twitter.com/FalklandsinUK/statu ... 9200731136
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Royal Navy”