Originally Posted by
WE Branch Fanatic
The unique selling point of the ASW helicopter is dipping sonar - and I remember the old and bold PWO(U) explaining that the 2087 sonar fitted to the ASW frigate and the Merlin's dipping sonar are meant to work together. He also said that to protect a force/task group (yes this is where the phrase 'task group ASW' was muttered) you use a carrier and multiple helicopters.
Here is a video from Thales entitled
Combined Sonar 2087 - Merlin ASW Operations:
Thales sonar - YouTube
I only found this the other night - I had been looking for ages.
Technology has moved on since the days of the Cold War, and sonars are more sensitive and longer ranged than before, having benefited from advances in things like digital signal processing. Modern sonars can achieve detection ranges far beyond ones in the 1980s, with the resulting employment of ASW helicopters being more effective.
Originally posted on another website on the thread about the role of the carrier in sea control.
All fine and dandy WEBF, but you omit one major flaw. And that is that there are simply not enough aircraft to provide a meaningful capability! You trumpet the Merlin ASW capability, and I am sure that it is indeed world beating, but, and it is a huge but, how many HM2's did 820 NAS deploy onboard the carrier on CSG21? Was it 3? or 4? There are a total of 30 RN Merlin HM2's, and they have to equip the ASW Sonar equipped Type 23 Frigates, deploy to Prestwick on boomer cover, provide the AEW Crowsnest capability on dedicated aircraft, equip 824 NAS training squadron, provide trials aircraft for Boscombe Down RWTS, and on top of this there always seems to be 3 or 4 of them at Leonardo's Yeovil plant. A fine theoretical capability, but deployed in such penny packet numbers as to be basically meaningless.
The same applies to the F-35B fleet. CSG21 took 8 aircraft of 617 squadron on the carrier for the deployment (shame that they only managed to bring 7 back...) and that 8 was the entire front line strength of the UK F-35B force, a force that is the only UK dedicated attack force, that theoretically replaced the Sea Harrier, Harrier GR9 and the Tornado GR4 fleets. We learnt from the recent MoD announcements that the situation in 2023 is somewhat improved, they now have 12 F-35B Lightnings and 13 pilots on 617 Squadron. So that is the replacement for the aforementioned fleets with their capability and numbers. Sure things are going to improve, but immeasurably slowly! The 2nd front line F-35B Lightning squadron (809NAS) is due to form around the end of the year, even though they have yet to start the infrastructure build at Marham to house them! Then we learn that the 3rd operational squadron "will form in 2033." 2033! That's ten years after the 2nd squadron.
The carrier capability of the Royal Navy is an illusory fake, it is an intangible nothing with no numbers to make it worthwhile or effective. It is a great shame and could have been oh so different if we had VSO's with an ounce of a spine. And don't pass off the blame to the politicians. We still have one of the largest defence budgets in the world, it is just spent extremely badly.