PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - No cats and flaps ...... back to F35B?
View Single Post
Old 20th Mar 2012, 22:59
  #173 (permalink)  
Not_a_boffin
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 535
Received 178 Likes on 94 Posts
Hval

I understand your point. However, that level of refit/upgrade activity is not typical of what the RN has generally managed over the last 15 years of operating two CVS and one in reserve. The constraint is always the ships complement and (usually) not buying sufficient aircraft / aircrew to maintain 1CAG per ship.

Personally I'd be surprised if whichever of the two QEC doesn't enter service is actually sold. Partly because there are unlikely to be "acceptable" buyers and partly because if we manage to get both ships in the same configuration, you could run them as we do the LPD.

Additional T45 and Astute are of limited value if you don't have the full-spectrum capability (ie organic air) to do proper Fleet ops. This is the conundrum; either have the balanced fleet with the three core capabilities endorsed by every government over the last thirty years, or; build a small coastal fleet of FAC, OPV and MCMV and stay home. A posture that incidentally has similar implications for the Army & RAF.
Not_a_boffin is offline