Spare engines are carried during such deployments, plus of course many other aircraft spares.
Gullwings, how familiar are you with the F-35 support construct?
Just how many ‘spare engines’ will be carried on board QE?
( the answer is different to Harrier).
Discussion on here seems to be largely based on ‘we didn’t do it in Nelson’s day, so why change?’
The environment has changed. Operating F-35B capability is a tad more complex than phantoms and Harrier.
Do those that consider COD as an expensive irrelevance think QE will be parked 300miles off-shore in a non-permissive environment with a couple of Sqn a of F-35s on board?
I totally agree that the UK cannot afford a V-22 capability exclusively for COD/MITL, but what’s the plan?
NAO report earlier this year recognised this failing, but we are yet to hear how we avoid QE becoming an ‘exquisite irrelevance ‘....