I was going to post the numbers quoted by RAFEngO74to09. Perhaps 33 pilots for 37 aircraft is not as bad as some might make out, MFTS remains woeful, and the build up of the Lightning Force painfully slow. It will be interesting to see how many are embarked aboard HMS
Queen Elizabeth when she deploys on NATO tasking shortly. Returning to another issue:
Originally Posted by
Asturias56
But we managed without carriers for years WEBF - currently we have one available carrier - does that mean there are no other ASW helicopter operations?
A full on carrier is a very expensive way of carrying out ASW - especially when it is a lovely big target in its own right
We may have managed for years (which is open to dispute because HMS Illustrious remained in service until July 2014, and Ocean was in service until Queen Elizabeth was in commission - and both ships supported NATO ASW exercises), but the cosy post Cold War era is over.
The point is that we face a new reality in which things like crisis reinforcement shipping and amphibious forces face peer level threats. The main threat that Russia could post in the Atlantic is from submarines, with aircraft launched anti ship missiles also being something to worry about. The carrier provides the means to defend against both - of course in conjunction with other warships and aircraft, and other assets.
Originally Posted by
SASless
If the Carriers are supposed to be doing "useful things"....having half the Carrier Fleet spending extended periods of time in Rosyth for unscheduled repairs puts a very real dent in the ability for "useful things" to be performed?
What happens to that capability if both Carriers are in port for regular maintenance and unscheduled repairs?
Does the ASW function revert to the Frigates and Helicopters?
Does that mean the ASW capability is rendered insufficient as a result?
It would very unlikely that both are in dry dock. Without a big deck it would be more difficult to deploy as many ASW helicopters, but it could be worked around. It would be impossible to deploy aircraft for air defence though, and it is likely that submarine and air threats would coexist. Soviet/Russian submarines have often been armed with long range anti ship missiles, which depending on third party targeting - usually by aircraft.