PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - If only we had a carrier with ‘Cats and Traps’!
Old 8th Jun 2018, 16:43
  #45 (permalink)  
sandiego89
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: virginia, USA
Age: 56
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Originally Posted by DroneDog
OK. I have only the vaguest notion of Cats and Traps but 2 Billion quid to retrofit as a system, really!!

Let us say I have the UK's checkbook, surely if we purchased the hydraulic bits needed for the Traps of the USA I would budget that at £10 million per carrier.
Now the steam generation system is way more complex, but Older UK non-nuclear carriers had steam catapults, let us say £150 million to fit this.

Could it be that simple, what have I missed?
A few things you may have missed:
-The older UK carriers had steam boilers that were used for both ships propulsion and the catapults (and power generation). The new QE class has gas turbine propulsion, so no steam. A steam catapult would require an entire steam generation and piping system (which was mused, but not fitted). EMALS was also studied but would have been massively expensive (and risky)
-Add a few zeros to the price of the arresting gear.
-Catapults and arresting gear require much more manning and maintenance than a flat deck and ski jump. Factor in the additional costs for the additional crew, their housing ashore, pensions, medical, training.... Factor in routine maintenance (intensive), periodic refit, and major overhaul of the catapult and arresting systems throughout the life of the carriers.
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