Queen Elizabeth Class - Airwings/Airgroups Except F35B

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Pelican
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Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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With Q.E. expected to leave Portsmouth next week for Westlant18, see:
https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/first- ... is-autumn/
it seems timely to start a thread on QEC.
Here are a couple of general articles also from Save the Navy.
Royal Navy aircraft carriers – vulnerable or fit for the fight?
https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/royal- ... the-fight/
And HMS Queen Elizabeth – built to survive.
https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/hms-qu ... o-survive/
Subject to our Moderator's guidance it might be better to have separate threads for the F35B and other aircraft of their airwings.
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.
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Pelican
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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HMS QE clear of all contractor's flight deck equipment, and even 3 of the 4 step sections on the stern now replaced.
Waiting in the 11 Aug 18 Saturday rain as loading and other preparations continue for her imminent departure on WESTLANT18 and over 3 months deployment to the eastern seaboard are of the USA.
(Pic by Conner Clark)
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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.
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Pelican
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Queen Elizabeth Class - Airwings/Airgroups Except F35B

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820 Naval Air Squadron is making its final preparations to embark onto HMS Queen Elizabeth.
According to a Royal Navy press release:
“Soon the whole squadron – aircrew, engineers and support personnel – will join the ship and sail with her across the Atlantic for the next stage of her sea trials.
This important stage is the fixed-wing aircraft part of the trials, the highlight of which will be F-35Bs touching down on her deck for the first time.
Flying in arguably the best submarine hunting helicopter in the world, the 820 NAS will be protecting HMS Queen Elizabeth from threats on and below the surface of the sea.”

845 & 846 SQDNS MERLIN MK3 TO MK4 UPGRADE PROGRAMME - COMMANDO HELO FORCE
This major upgrade programme now in progress to relife and upgrade the former RAF Merlin helicopter fleet to MK4 (Marinised) standard for use by 846 and later 845 NASs of the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF).
Merlin Mk4s will be regular components of any QE class air group. See:
https://www.forces.net/news/exclusive-i ... elicopters

FAA MERLINS - ALL MARKS IN ONE PIC!
Captured for the first time in one picture at RNAS Yeovilton on 21 June 2018 are the 4 present UK FAA variants of the AW101 Merlin. It represents the RN FAA Merlin Force in transition to an all ASW Merlin HM2 and HC4/4A Force in the next 3 years. The next variant to emerge will be the AEW/ISTAR Crows Nest variant in late 2018 based on the Merlin HM2
All these Merlin variants will be regular parts of the QE class air groups.
From left to right: Merlin HC3; New HC4; ASW HM2; HC3A
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Pelican
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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TWEETS
Unsure if reposting Tweets on this Forum is en-dis couraged?
Here are a few of the recent ones from Q.E. posted mainly for the photos but note - "Did you enjoy #BritainsBiggestWarship Series 1? If so, we are excited to announce that @ChrisTerrill will be back onboard filming #Westlant18 and #F35ondeck for Series 2 to be aired on the @BBC Reminds us of watching Sailor back in the day though we can’t promise a marriage!"
See - https://twitter.com/HMSQnlz - and scroll thru.
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.
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Pelican
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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Re: Built to Survive article above. Here is a comment from elsewhere:
"Arthur Burton - Just as a reminder here is a pic of the concept for the Alpha Design we at Thales submitted, and this design was selected by the MoD. The concept was, at about 90,000tonnes almost half as big again as the final Delta design. The Beta and Gamma options were substantially smaller than the final Delta design. I cannot add anything to the article for obvious reasons, except that the original concept included 3000tonnes of armour steel plating, oh and yes Azipods/Mermaids the type had not been downselected (similar to Cunard's Queen Elizabeth) Obviously Qinetic was a major contributor to the programme. They played an important role with their specialised capabilities but the Fight/Flight/Float guidelines runs through the whole design like a stick of Blackpool rock. Each system is classed and grouped in order of importance. You might imagine that the fire fighting system is in the first category, but every system has its place in the overall scheme of things. I have stated previously, and will go further than Qinetic, that QE Class vessels are 2 ships, one behind the other and one inside the other. Each system includes the concept of 'Graceful Degradation' to avoid the catastrophic failures we have seen in the past. Even the mess tables have tie-down links to stop them flying about in action. The article is well written and informative but it hardly scratches the surface of the extent of the engineering effort applied to the ship as a whole. For example no mention of the vast CBRN or fire fighting measures, no mention of the flight deck crash recovery scenarios, weapons management and a whole range of other things not engineered by Qinetic. For (final) example no mention of the stonking great Diesel Pump Set sat high up rearwards to keep the ship pumped out in the event of total power failure (Ref HMS Ark Royal sunk 1941)."
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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FLYCO & F35B SIMULATOR COMPLEX - BAES WARTON UK
The practice and learning will soon to be put into operation via Westlant18 so the contents of this link may be of interest. Some of the wording might be a bit flowery but the main information is there. There are other pdfs about the subject available for downloading from the net.
See - https://www.wired.co.uk/article/f35-sim ... ems-warton

CDR. AIR:
May 1, 2018
"Back in November 2010, then-Lt Cdr James Blackmore became the last pilot of a BAE Systems Harrier to launch from the flightdeck of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, bringing to an end three decades of shipborne short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) operations from the service's three Invincible-class carriers.

In a circuitous arc, now Cdr Blackmore will in five months oversee the re-birth of fixed-wing aviation in the RN, as HMS Queen Elizabeth – the first of its two new 65,000t aircraft carriers – begins first of class flying trials (FOCFT) with STOVL aircraft of an altogether different kind.

Two fully instrumented Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II development aircraft from the Integrated Test Force (ITF) at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, will join the ship off the eastern seaboard of the USA for two development test periods – dubbed DT-1 and DT-2 – running through October and November.

The purpose of the FOCFT activity is to validate design modelling and support the production of the full ship/air integration release. To achieve these objectives necessitates operating the aircraft and ship in a wide range of load, motion, wind and environmental conditions, using instrumentation to capture detailed trials data. These individual test points are used to define the limits of the safe operating envelope.

As Commander Air – a role that sees him in overall control of aviation operations in, on and around the carrier – Blackmore and his air department will manage the FOCFT flying programme from the flying control (FLYCO) office extending out from Queen Elizabeth’s aft island.

Continues at: https://www.navy-net.co.uk/community/th ... te.169898/
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.
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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Nothing comes cheap these days:
Lockheed Martin awarded contract for flying trials of UK’s F-35B Lightning aircraft
"As part of the Joint Strike Fighter programme, Lockheed Martin Corp. received $7.8 million to support for first of class flying trials and release of the military permit to fly for F-35B Lightning II aircraft in support of the government of the United Kingdom."
See - https://defence-blog.com/aviation/lockh ... craft.html
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.
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ivorthediver
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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As you quite rightly state ...nothings cheap...... and its a sellers market .....so if you want to play with the big boys pay or delay :!:
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
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Pelican
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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With little money to 'pay' with Ivor we have to spend it wisely or when we have to but so far so good. ;)
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ivorthediver
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Re: Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers: Queen Elizabeth Class

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Long mat it last eh ;)
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
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