There are certainly a lot of questions being asked about our real requirements and the [very] expensive bits of gear in the current procurement pipeline to fulfil said requirements....
It's been said before however, does the UK really need 2 huge carriers, one of which will get sold off because it doesn't meet our requirements? I pose the question not to enflame but because it is absolutely right to do so. Can we protect our sea lines of communication without such behemoths, instead relying on faster, more agile intercept craft with enough onboard firepower to get the job done? Op Ellamy proved to an extent that UK could send a stark message of international condemnation to a belligerent government without the need for embarked fast air. Sure, perhaps it would have been more flexible to have Harrier on Lusty or Ark but ultimately in that scenario it wasn't essential. Other scenarios may suit a carrier completely but equally may not; so it comes down to the sad situation we're in: if we continue wanting the 'kit' to cover every eventuality then we're sadly deluding ourselves given our financial disposition. The carriers are monumentally expensive but do they offer value for the taxpayer?
On the aircraft thread, there are some pretty strong reasons for remaining in the F-35 programme; a return on investment for every aircraft sold (££ to HM Treasury), enduring manufacturing work for UK employees at a time when unemployment is rising, and a lot of stuff that's not just stealth including fuel capacity, payload, radar, network capability, and the most important.... growth potential. The last point is one which puts an F-18 solution firmly as a stop-gap, giving us another headache further down the line. Do you think that procuring and supporting two types (F-18E/F into F-35C) within the next 10 years is going to cost more or less than staying the course on just F-35? IMHO, I don't think we need the aircraft carriers as much as we need an aircraft that can take UK's air power role well into the middle of this century. To me that means an F-35C that can be embarked onto a US CVN when required - could we foresee having a squadron permanently assigned in the USA onboard CVN while the land-based squadron(s) are in the UK? Maybe..
Last edited by ICBM; 29th Jan 2012 at 13:17.