It seems like only yesterday (it was 2001) when I gave my ex matelot father an
Air Forces Monthly special on carriers, this was just before the Sea Harrier got the chop. CVF was discussed in that publication, but never would I have imagined the ways in which we would make things hard for ourselves.
I was (not intentionally - I was there for a lunch and a couple of pints) doing some shopping a few days ago and I passed a shop where in 2000 I peeked at a book called something like
Carrier Combat. It was an American book and it covered US carriers on operations in the Gulf and Adriatic. Also it covered one of the
Invincible class on operations with Sea Harrier FA2 + Harrier GR7 + Sea Kings.... But more jets meant less helicopters.
A future book of that nature will compare
QE/POW with 24+ x F-35B, plus ASW, AEW, and Commando Assault helicopters, with American and French counterparts. Significantly the QEC can carry a significant number of jets without compromising the ability to perform a task group ASW role.
I cannot resist posting this from HMS
Queen Elizaeth's Twitter feed: