US Squadrons may use UK carrier for operations
 

This is from the BBC:


BBC News - US squadrons 'may use UK carrier' for operations


"The Royal Navy may ask US squadrons to fly off its new aircraft carrier following delays to its new F35B fighters, BBC Newsnight has learned."


How embarrassing is that?

No problem....the US Navy has been well trained to work out of spartan quarters in the past....they will get over it. I would bet the trade of Ice Cream Machines for Beer will be acceptable.

Why don't we just buy the Marine's AV8s and fly them ourselves until the F-35 eventually (if ever) arrives.

Or we could buy back the Harriers we sold them not long ago. You couldn't make this up could you Dr Fox???

Why not buy some surplus F-18's....we got loads of them with our downsizing!

What are you going to fly the F-18s off Bob? Going to borrow an American carrier too?

US Squadrons may use UK carrier for operations
 

Certain South American nations maintain their carrier qualifications with Gringo-Gaucho exercises any time a US Carrier Group rounds the Cape when transiting from one ocean to the other.

It's called sharing resources and maintaining international relations.

"He (Lord Richards)denied that it was humiliating for Britain not to have its own jets ready when it comes into service because the ships could be used for different functions such as carrying helicopters or troops."

But will we have enough helos and soldiers to fill a QE class? :\

So what happened to "Rule Britannia"??:uhoh:

Sometimes I wonder why we bothered buying these 2 big carriers. Why not just watch the Americans use theirs? Much cheaper...

I wonder if we will ever get the F35B - we've have ordered a grand total of 4 and are now offering the use of the carriers to the US... with another round of defence cuts coming after the GE next year one wonders if the F35B will be cancelled and the two carriers sold off to... the US (to be modded for F35C ops)or some other nation.

Why didn't we keep the Harriers? :ugh:

The Harriers worked and were still viable for their strike role for a few more years, apart from giving us fully trained pilots used to the peculiarities of operation for when (if) the F35B ever eventuates. We would have had a moderately potent couple of carriers.

"Sometimes I wonder why we bothered buying these 2 big carriers..."

Because they are being built in Gordon Brown's constituency, and they were ordered when he was...

This would seem to be a stopgap given the earlier arrival of at least some Marine F-35Bs. It also meshes with the new Marine Conops.

At least they will have a full complement of aircraft, I suppose :ugh:.

I genuinely wonder whether the clever (Taking politics out of the equation) thing to do in times like these is to just build fresh Harriers/ older generation, proven aircraft and fit them with modern Radar/ Meteor, Sidewinder X, glass cockpit etc... Stealth will be outdone by heavier ground based Radar; then what with the plastic fantastic F35 have? In the future fights we are likely to engage in, would it be worse to use 2 Carriers full of Super Buccaneer/ Super Harrier and the flexibility that brings, compared to using a handful of F35?

Whilst we are waited for aircraft those two carriers could 'carry' an awful lot of ISO containers to and from China! We could also get hundreds of Japanese and Korean cars inside and on the decks. We could call it PPI....... Might even buy one or two more f35s.

Another problem is look at a US carrier group.

Have we got enough spare navy ships to do that now, plus fulfill other commitments???

I think it's rather sweet of him to be confident they WILL arrive in service before the jets. Bless!

CG

And of course, there is no embarrassment or humiliation in asking our allies to provide MPA in the defence of Britains interests.

lasernigel - you forgot the supporting SSN and dedicated P-8 MPA.

It stunned me when I saw the size of the fleet sent out to welcome the German grand fleet upon its surrender at the end of WW1..
But we must be the laughing stock of the world over the carrier farce...

See

BBC News - The day the entire German fleet surrendered