Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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Pelican
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Re: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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DEFENDER

Lovely night for a top up from RFA Tidespring See - https://twitter.com/HMSDefender/status/ ... 36/photo/1 - for 2 photos.

We’re about to visit Jordan and are really looking forward to strengthening our bond with this important partner in the region and seeing some amazing historic sights, see - https://twitter.com/HMSDefender/status/ ... 84/photo/1
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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Elements of the UK Carrier Stike Group currently passing through the Suez Canal

See - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 8868321283


HMS Defender arriving in Aqaba, Jordan today.

See - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 9161681921
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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FIRST LOSS OF A F355B

From Tweets today:
MoD says a British F-35 pilot from HMSQNLZ ejected during routine flying operations in the Mediterranean this morning. The pilot has been safely returned to the ship and an investigation has begun.

Thankfully the pilot is OK.This is the first loss of a UK F-35 and an expensive setback (around £100M+ per jet). There will also likely be attempts to recover the wreckage from the seabed if possible to prevent adversaries getting hands on sensitive technology.

Although very unfortunate, occasional accidents are a fact of life with fast jet operations. US has already lost F-35s and UK likely has accumulated 2nd greatest number of flying hrs. Why aircraft numbers matter - besides maintenance need to allow for accidents and combat losses.
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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F-35 flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth ditches in the sea


The Ministry of Defence has announced a British F-35 pilot flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth ejected during a routine sortie in the Mediterranean at around 1000 UK time today. Here summarise events and add some perspective to this unfortunate news.

The aircraft carrier and some of her supporting ships had just completed the northward transit of the Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean when the jet was lost. The pilot ejected and fortunately was recovered safely to the ship

At the time of writing publicly available facts are limited, pending an investigation. The Defence Secretary has said the accident occurred soon after takeoff. The weather in the area was generally good, the incident did not involve another aircraft, was a routine sortie and other jets are continuing to fly normally. It is unwise to speculate on the specific cause at this stage.

A US spokesman confirmed the pilot was British and the jet was one of the eight 617 Squadron aircraft flown by RAF and RN personnel and not one of the ten belonging to the US Marine Corps. It would appear that well-practiced search and rescue procedures paid off and the pilot was quickly rescued from the sea. probably within visual range of the carrier or accompanying ships.

There has been some consternation about this crash but flying fast jets always involves a degree of risk and naval aviation adds additional challenges. The Fleet Air Arm lost a large number of pilots and aircraft to accidents during its history, especially during the Second World War and into the 1960s. Accident rates declined in line with the reduced strength of the FAA but a few of the Harriers of the generation before F-35 suffered ditching incidents.

The F-35 has a generally good safety record for an aircraft new in service. So far there have been a total of just 5 in-flight accidents involving all 3 variants. There have now been 3 F-35B accidents, the two USMC crashes were caused in the first instance by a fuel pipe problem and the second by a collision during mid-air refueling. By June of 2021, 645 F-35s were in service globally, operating from 26 bases around the world. Flying hours without incident are accumulating rapidly. The UK is second to the US in the number of flying hours so inevitably has a higher risk of accident than smaller F-35 partner nations.

Continues at - https://www.navylookout.com/f-35-flying ... n-the-sea/

P.S.
TWEET FROM - Ministry of Defence Press Office - Some hours ago.

A British F35 pilot from HMS Queen Elizabeth ejected during routine flying operations in the Mediterranean this morning.

The pilot has been safely returned to the ship and an investigation has begun, so it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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Navy Lookout

Merlin MK2 Crowsnest ASAC based on HMS QNLZ flew together in formation for first time 29/10/21.
An opportunity for Observers to practice airborne surveillance picture handover.
3 Photos at - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 7806001164
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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Commander UK Carrier Strike Group

Delighted to welcome the NATO North Atlantic Council on board HMSQNLZ today.

See - https://twitter.com/smrmoorhouse/status ... 3Yqb6Njjvw
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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Italian jets land on British aircraft carrier

F-35B Lightning jets from the Italian carrier Cavour have landed, refuelled, and relaunched from HMS Queen Elizabeth.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently in the Mediterranean following months in the Indo-Pacific region as part of her global deployment. As she heads west back to the UK, the ship has continued her busy programme of working with allied nations and partners, say the Royal Navy.
See - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/italian ... u_OLl-HWAA

Plus plenty more going on, e.g. "Never a dull day on the HMS QNLZ Flight Deck. Today we welcomed not 1, or 2, but 3 Ospreys!
See - https://twitter.com/HMSQNLZ/status/1462823402490761227
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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Russia is paying "close attention" to the UK's flagship aircraft carrier, which lost an F-35 stealth jet after it crashed into the sea, the defence secretary has revealed.

Ben Wallace told Sky News that Russian aircraft have been tracking HMS Queen Elizabeth, its top secret warplanes and a flotilla of supporting ships as they returned from a seven-month, maiden tour to the Far East.

Continues at - https://news.sky.com/story/russian-airc ... r-12472082
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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At the end of a ground breaking joint 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 deployment, the 10 USMC jets of VMFA-211 have flown off HMS QNLZ today - heading for Rota, Spain before returning to the US.

See - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 3653399552

Also - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... epart-qnlz
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: Carrier Strike Group 2021 - CSG21

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HMS QNLZ due to come alongside in Mallorca for visit - at anchor awaiting cruise ships to depart from the berth.

https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 74/photo/1
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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