Please excuse my ignorance, but what type of arrestor gear is available on our new carrier in the event of an F-35B's lift fan failure and the aircraft being forced to land conventionally?

If there's no diversion airfield available I should imagine it's a combination of a parachute stored in the pilot's seat, and a helicopter on board the carrier. Much like the Harrier...

Edit: I should imagine the economics are fairly straightforward. Multiply the number of aircraft you expect to lose from lift fan failure by the cost of each aircraft. If that number is less than the combined cost of installing and operating dedicated arrestor gear on the carriers, and of adding suitable hardware to each airframe, then it's not worth doing...

As Pasta says, the QECs have no provision for arrested landings as currently configured. The same was true of the three CVS (Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal) and their Harriers. So they take the risk that when operating Blue Water an inability to hover means that the driver must bang out next to the carrier.

It's a small risk that is deemed acceptable.

PDR

The same question can be asked about SRVLs that go wrong, for whatever reason. Remembering that one reason for SRVLs is to increase the bring back weight, so an F35B with, one day, a Storm Shadow is coming back for whatever reason, and has a problem, an arrestor / crash net or two would seem to be a good idea.

The QECs replacement will be in service by then. I'm sure they'll have it put in the design spec!;)

I don't think you realise how fast a conventional landing might be.....

You would drop the storm shadow rather than take a net:ugh:

My point Tourist was that an SRVL that had a problem would be very difficult to recover from if there was a failure close to or on the deck.

Yes landings on a carrier are fast, not sure what happens now if there is a problem with a hook, eject or take a barrier? Implicitly if an F35C can take a barrier, then an F35B should be able to do so as well. Obviously taking a barrier is not good for an airframe, whilst ditching one is a trice worse.

Storm Shadow is a bit of a moot point as there is neither a plan to, nor the finace to pay for, the integration of that weapon of F35 :ooh:

As the late Bill Bedford once said:

"When it comes to maritime aviation it is surely preferable to stop, and then try to land than it is to land, and then try to stop..."

PDR

See the Type 26's are drifitng right................

No Type 26 frigate deal unless it is 'value for money' - BBC News

At the same time, support budgets for existing ships (ie Type 23/Type 45) and their systems may be seen as low hanging fruit for cuts.

:ugh::ugh::ugh:

http://www.arrse.co.uk/community/att...08-jpg.250206/

Looking back at this thread - there appears to be a lot of people who think a carrier is simply a floating airfield. Well here is a picture* of RAF Marham, with an outline of HMS Queen Elizabeth for comparison.

All the things you normally get an an airfield are compressed into a small area, which is subject to the motions of the sea. Additionally the deck is liable to move as the ship yaws, pitches, and rolls. Everything has to be done in the finite space aboard the carrier, which of course makes everything more difficult and means personnel need unique skills.

* Found on another site.

Just thought I'd share this little piccy with you all: The first British F-35B to reach the UK (along with two USMC Lightning IIs) has just conducted a flypast over HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales (not visible from this angle) at Rosyth. And the 'Daily Fail' is still peddling the line that our new carriers will have no aircraft. What's this, Scotch Mist?

That's some cocktail party they're planning judging by the size of the marquee.

This post from the ARRSE CVF and Carrier Strike thread talks about the ongoing work to prepare these two great ships.

Great progress has been made with the ships, great progress has been made with the F-35B (see here and here on the RN website), but both need people to make them work. I remember hearing the FAA Command Warrant Officer talking about the pre SDSR plan to embark more jets aboard the CVS for longer periods to relearn the skills needed both by the air squadron and the whole ship's company. I remember being told similar things by the Cdr (Air) and others aboard Illustrious in late 2007. If only sombody had listened to them and the ex CVS Captain First Sea Lord in 2010. :{:ugh::{

As with most things, people are the key - and possibly the most difficult to prepare. The noise and jet blast from the F-35B are going to make Sea Harrier/Harrier seem tame.

WEB - as a number of us have pointed out they're going to have to scrape the barrel to crew just one of these ships on a regular basis

You have - but you are completely wrong. The ship's company of HMS Queen Elizabeth is mostly in place already. Also I am not sure what you mean by scraping the barrel. You are aware that it is normal for sailors to leave a ship and join another, or to finish their training and to join a ship. Are you suggesting that those sent to QE/POW are less capable than those posted elsewhere?

My comments related solely to the unique issues associated with operating fixed wing aircraft from a ship.

Well...apart from things like jet blast (after all the F-35B will produce a lot more that Harrier, and simulations showed Jet Blast Deflectors would not do much to help), extremely hot jet efflux, extra sensitivity to FOD, wind over deck..... Which someone is looking into - see this post from June 2013 on another thread.

The bigger issue is getting everyone else to be ready for a large, busy flight deck. - WhiteOvies

Yes I am aware of exchanges, and I realise things happen that are not in the public eye, but still.....

Indeed they change ship but you're looking at a single unit in service so they will all be there semi-permanently - and many of the specialisations will be restricted to the CVA

We can't even man all the ships we have right now..............

HH,

Whilst I agree that the RN currently struggles to man their ships at all times, the assertion that a person or trade will be “Big Ships” only is not my experience of how the Navy works.
In my many years of service I served on frigates (x2 ), carriers (Invince class several times), RFAs (Engadine, Argus, Fort boats various) and shore based at home and abroad..
The ability to train for a specific draft or billet is part of the manning process. An example being the 3 months worth of SAMCOs and courses I completed prior to joining RFANSU (as it was called) and the Fort boats as the PO in charge of the workshops.
“Harmony” requirements also come into play as with any Naval draft these days so it will be made to work, although I look forward to hearing how the RAF will cope with life on board. I suppose the younger generation won’t know any different so they will fit right in?
Cheers now

Excuse my ignorance, but why are blast deflectors not much use? Is it specific to the F35? I seem to remember seeing blast deflectors on the big American carriers.