Clicker
I also presume a delay would also increase the unit cost thereby hurting the public purse even more.
Yes it would appear like that to you and I, but to the Treasury.....
Modern Elmo
Over ten years ago I read that the US Navy wanted a UAV for support roles like tanking. Now that the carriers have no embarked tanker it must again be a priority. Why didn't the USN take the proven Hawkeye/Greyhound airframe and turn it into a tanker?
Now there has been progress with regards to Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landings - see this article:
Happy Landings
An SRVL landing involves an aircraft executing a ‘rolling landing’ onto the carrier flight deck using air speed to provide wingborne lift to compliment engine thrust. Compared to standard vertical landing, an SRVL recovery allows heavier payloads to be brought back and landed onboard.
However, early studies revealed the F-35B had a critical vulnerability to deck motion for SRVL manoeuvres. As a result, the MOD placed a contract with QinetiQ in 2007 to devise a solution.
The Bedford Array visual landing aid system was designed to ensure pilots make an accurate approach to the deck, by combining inputs from external passive references and information in the pilot’s helmet mounted display to stabilise the approach in rough conditions.
A T4 Vectored-thrust Aircraft Advanced Control (VAAC) Harrier aircraft flew a total of 39 sorties in the southwest approaches to test the Bedford Array landing system and a total of 67 vertical landings and around 230 SRVL approaches were flown.
Once again, the UK is at the forefront of naval aviation technology. I wonder if there is export potential here? The US Marines and several other Navies will want to operate the F35B at sea and face the same challenges.