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PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:29 pm 
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This follows the F35Bs arrival on the CVF very recently as detailed in this other thread.


Naval Today

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HMS Queen Elizabeth welcomes US Navy heavyweights on flight trials
After welcoming her first F-35B fighter jets on the flight deck as part of first-of-class flight trials, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth recently welcomed two US Navy helicopter heavyweights on the deck.
The first to land was the United States Navy’s biggest helicopter – the MH-53E Sea Dragon, followed closely by the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
Flight trials for the jets are ongoing off the east coast of the United States, where the 65,000-ton warship is currently on a deployment called Westlant 18.
The helicopters’ visit gave Queen Elizabeth’s aircraft handlers the opportunity to work with the US aircraft and means they can now operate from the British carrier.

(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 9:45 pm 
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Apparently I overlooked the news of the launching of the 2nd in this class as well before this...

UK Defence Journal

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Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales fires up engine for first time
By
George Allison
November 26, 2018
Engineers aboard HMS Prince of Wales have turned on the diesel generators for the first time, say the Royal Navy.
The Royal Navy say that the vessel has four Wärtsilä diesel generators, each capable of producing more than 11 Megawatts of power, enough to support a town of 25,000 people.
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 4:57 pm 
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The feuding between the RAF and RN over F35s continues:

Sky News

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Royal Navy and RAF locked in dogfight over new jets that cannot fly from warships
Sources tell Sky News that senior RAF officers are pushing for a version of a supersonic warplane that can only fly from land.

16:36, UK, Saturday 01 December 2018
By Deborah Haynes, foreign affairs editor
Britain risks reducing the fighting power of two new aircraft carriers and damaging ties with the United States because of a row over jets, defence sources have warned.
Two sources, who are close to the Royal Navy, accused senior Royal Air Force officers of privately pushing for a version of a supersonic warplane that can only fly from the land to be included in an initial purchase of 48 F-35 Lightning II jets, instead of them all being able to operate from ships at sea.
They said any cut in the number of next generation F-35 aircraft that can take off and land from HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales would be a huge mistake, shrinking the size of the squadrons each £3bn carrier will be equipped to carry in the coming years.
"This will completely undermine … the whole carrier programme," one source told Sky News.
"There is no operational reason whatsoever for the RAF to have the A [land-based] variant [of the F-35]. If it can't fly from an aircraft carrier it shouldn't be purchased."
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2019 1:26 pm 
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Another belated update from last week:

Defense News

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Britain’s new aircraft carrier springs a leak — again
By: Andrew Chuter   July 10
LONDON — Britain’s new aircraft carrier has returned to its base early after the warship developed a leak during sea trials.

The 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth was due to return to its base at Portsmouth, southern England, later this week after five weeks of trials and training. But trials were terminated when water flooded a compartment Tuesday on the £3.1 billion (U.S. $3.9 billion) warship — the first of two carriers being built for the Royal Navy.

The cause of the leak is unclear, but one report said a high-pressure seawater pipe ruptured, letting in more than 200 tons of water.

The Ministry of Defence said it didn’t recognize the 200-ton figure. A spokesperson for the ministry described the leak as a “minor issue with an internal system.”(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2019 12:39 am 
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HMS Queen Elizabeth will soon embark 7 UK-owned F35Bs.

Save the Royal Navy

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August 30, 2019
HMS Queen Elizabeth sails for the US where she will embark UK-owned Jets for the first time
HMS Queen Elizabeth sails from Portsmouth today for the Westlant19 deployment, taking another step towards achieving full operational capability. Here we look in some detail at the plans for her trip to the US and her future programme.
Last week we went on board QE for a briefing with senior officers. Later Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the new Minister for Defence Procurement, made a statement on how the QEC carriers contribute to UK defence and the economy as a whole.
Allocated assets
QE will be joined on the deployment by the destroyer HMS Dragon, the frigate HMS Northumberland and will be supported by tanker RFA Tideforce. 7 UK F-35B jets flown by RN and RAF pilots will fly on to the ship when she is on the eastern seaboard of the US. The jets and personnel will be drawn from the UK squadrons; the operational squadron (617 Sqn), the operational conversion unit (207 Sqn) and the test and evaluation squadron (17 Sqn based in California).
The UK-owned aircraft based at RAF Marham will not embark while the ship is in UK waters, instead, they will cross the Atlantic (using Air-Air Refuelling) for temporary basing on a US east coast airfield before joining QE, probably in the second week of October. The reason is that the landings will be these pilots’ first deck landings and ideal weather conditions are needed, with a diversionary airfield close by. Additionally, the jets only need to be embarked for the 5-week flight trials period, rather than the whole deployment.The British jets will be supplemented by up to 4 additional USMC F-35B aircraft. 9 rotary-wing aircraft, Merlin Mk2, Mk4, and Wildcat will be embarked on the carrier or her escorts. All UK military helicopters, except the ageing Puma, have now been certified for QEC carrier operations.
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 3:45 pm 
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The first CVF visits Canada's East Coast:

Chronicle Herald

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Newest British aircraft carrier to visit Halifax
Aaron Beswick (abeswick@herald.ca)
Published: a day ago
Updated: 9 hours ago
The Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth . - L(Phot) Dave Jenkins / Royal Navy
The U.K.’s newest aircraft carrier is coming to Halifax.
HMS Queen Elizabeth will be visiting the port city en route to the United States eastern seaboard where it will be conducting trial flights of its new vertical takeoff and landing F-35B fighter planes.
The $3-billion aircraft carrier was commissioned in 2017. It left Portsmouth Aug. 30 and is expected to be in Halifax in two weeks.
Its arrival will coincide with Exercise Cutlass Fury 2019. The maritime war games involving ships from eight NATO countries will take place from Sept. 9 to 20.
“Some of the escort ships from the carrier strike group will be participating in Cutlass Fury but I’m not sure if HMS Queen Elizabeth will be,” said Rachel Epstein, spokeswoman for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence.
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 7:11 pm 
One DD and one FF seems to be a very skimpy escort force. Why were the F-35s not embarked in British waters but have to be flown to the US?


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 22, 2019 2:23 pm 
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BBC

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Second giant aircraft carrier sets sail from the Forth
2 hours ago
The UK's newest aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, has set sail from the Firth of Forth.
One of the largest vessels to be operated by the Royal Navy, it is to begin its initial sea trials.
The ship has been built to operate F35B Lightning II Joint Strike fighter jets.
Its sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was completed two years ago. It is currently crossing the Atlantic to begin operational trials with fighter aircraft in the USA.

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 1:27 am 
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DougC wrote:
One DD and one FF seems to be a very skimpy escort force. Why were the F-35s not embarked in British waters but have to be flown to the US?


DougC,

To answer your question (however belatedly with this article from just yesterday), the F35s were first delivered to a British unit stateside for training and familiarization over a number of years, which is why they will only be embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time this month, as reported below:


gov.UK/UK MoD official site news release

Quote:
First UK fighter jets land onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth
Pictures released by the MOD show UK F-35 Lightning jets landing, taking off and hovering onboard Britain’s next generation aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time.
Published 13 October 2019
From: Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP
Flown by Royal Navy and Royal Air Force pilots, the Lightning jets are embarking in the 65,000 tonne carrier to conduct operational trials off the East Coast of the USA.
This follows successful developmental trials last year with US Lightning jets, where forces conducted 500 take offs and landings over their 11-week period at sea.
These trials are aimed at ‘end-to-end’ testing of the aircraft and personnel to ensure the aircraft are compatible with the carrier. The tests involve mission planning, arming the aircraft using the ship’s Highly Automated Weapon Handling System, flying missions and debriefing on completion.
The landings on HMS Queen Elizabeth are part of the ‘WESTLANT 19’ Carrier Strike Group deployment. Once fully operational, UK Carrier Strike Group will be a formidable force around the world, using a number of platforms to work alongside our allies.
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 6:36 pm 
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HMS Queen Elizabeth's "bombheads" heralding the return of the fixed-wing/strike groups of the Fleet Air Arm\1!!!!!!!!!!


Naval News


Quote:
UK F-35B tests “beast mode” loadout
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently undergoing extensive F-35B flight trials with the aim of determining the operational limits of both the ship and the fifth-generation stealth jets it is poised to operate.
One of the trial evolutions included loading one of the jets with weaponry it would typically carry on a strike mission: 22,000lb of destructive and defensive power.
In this case the ‘bombheads’ on HMS Queen Elizabeth – red-surcout-wearing air engineer technicians – loaded inert Paveway laser-guided bombs and ASRAAM air-to-air missiles (for taking out aerial threats) on to the external pylons and bomb bay.
Fully-loaded, it’s known as “beast mode” by crews because of the firepower it delivers – nearly three times more than a Harrier, twice as much as a WW2 Lancaster heavy bomber.
To keep numbers of personnel on board the ship to a minimum, most of the process of getting the firepower from the magazines in the bowels of the 65,000-tonne warship to the flight deck is automated.
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 6:14 am 
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I hope they have a manual backup! There is a reason that no other ship has ever had this amount of automation for its weapon handling and that is: if you have enough people then they are always available; if you are over-reliant on automation then it is wonderful when it works and the whole system: ship and aircraft are virtually useless when it doesn't.

I would have preferred a few more personnel and a bit less faith in technology.

I am a bit of a doom and gloom merchant, so hopefully I am wrong!

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:25 am 
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Haijun watcher wrote:
.

...... One of the trial evolutions included loading one of the jets with weaponry it would typically carry on a strike mission: 22,000lb of destructive and defensive power.
In this case the ‘bombheads’ on HMS Queen Elizabeth – red-surcout-wearing air engineer technicians – loaded inert Paveway laser-guided bombs and ASRAAM air-to-air missiles (for taking out aerial threats) on to the external pylons and bomb bay.
Fully-loaded, it’s known as “beast mode” by crews because of the firepower it delivers – nearly three times more than a Harrier, twice as much as a WW2 Lancaster heavy bomber. ......




Strange, wasn't the Lancaster special capable of carrying Grand Slam a single 22,000 lb bomb ?

I'd like to see a F-35B carry one of those.

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 8:07 pm 
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UK Defence Journal


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Wartime Operations – Employing the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers
By
Guest Contributor
August 20, 2019
The months of June and July 2019 witnessed four significant events which are a portent for the future of UK carrier aviation.
The thirty-seventh anniversary of the Argentine surrender marking the end of the Falklands War was commemorated on the 14th of June. Exactly two days later Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning aircraft operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus completed their first armed overwatch mission over Syria marking their operational debut in UK service.
This article was submitted to the UK Defence Journal by Kelvin Curnow. Kelvin’s particular area of interest is naval aircraft and aircraft carriers. He is a keen writer and over the past fifteen years he has had a number of articles published in different journals.
Denoting a significant step towards initial operating capability, on the 17th of June HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH sailed from Portsmouth for a final round of sea trials before departing for the USA in Autumn for the next round of trials with the F-35B. The final and ominous event occurred on the 20th of July with the seizure of the British flagged tanker Stena Impero by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG) in the Strait of Hormuz using fast inshore patrol craft.
HMS Queen Elizabeth
The successful prosecution of the Falklands War lies in stark contrast to the ease with which the Iranians captured the British tanker and marks the steep decline in Britain’s maritime capabilities. Regeneration of the UK’s naval capability is marked by the construction of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES (PoW) – collectively designated the QUEEN ELIZABETH CLASS (QEC).
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:58 pm 
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UK Defence Journal


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HMS Queen Elizabeth to sail for secretive air transport mission
By
George Allison
December 4, 2019
British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is to sail to the Arctic Circle in a few weeks to support a multinational air transport mission, it has been revealed.
The new carrier recently returned from trials with F-35 jets but it’s understood that she is being redeployed for this mission.

The vessel is being deployed to act as an emergency landing option should a specific but classified cargo aircraft require its usage.
Other commentators have noted that that the loading of provisions would be unusual as the craft is rumoured to be elf sufficient and shouldn’t need anything else.
Part of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s recent trials involved the fitting of STOVL (Sleigh Take Off and Vixen Landing) equipment allowing for this kind of aircraft to land and take-off from the carrier.
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 1:00 pm 
HO, HO, HO


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:36 pm 
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I had to read twice... :heh:

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:07 am 
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UK Defence Journal

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UK commits Carrier Strike Group to NATO Readiness Initiative
By
George Allison
February 18, 2020
The UK contribution to the NATO Readiness Initiative includes a UK-led brigade and a UK Carrier Strike Group.
At the first NATO Defence Ministers meeting of 2020, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace used the occasion to reassure NATO’s European members that the United Kingdom remains a key element of broader European security.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the initiative last year:
“We will also agree a NATO Readiness Initiative – the ‘Four Thirties’ – to ensure that by 2020, we have 30 mechanised battalions, 30 air squadrons and 30 combat vessels, ready within 30 days or less.”
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:28 pm 
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Defense News


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Here’s why Britain is struggling to form a fully effective carrier strike group
By: Andrew Chuter   1 day ago

The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is pictured at anchor on the Solent on June 5, 2019. (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
LONDON — Britain’s Royal Navy took delivery of two new aircraft carriers, but a government report on the ships achieving operational capability has laid bare some obstacles toward making a fully effective carrier strike group.
In a report released June 25, the National Audit Office pointed to delays in developing the Crowsnest airborne early warning radar and contracting to build the logistics ships destined to support the 65,000-ton carriers as ongoing problems for the Royal Navy. The NAO also raised questions about future funding.
(./...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:38 am 
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Makes me wondering if other Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand will each contribute warships to join this Pacific-bound RN task force...

CNN

Quote:
UK says its aircraft carrier strike group is ready to deploy. China's already watching
By Brad Lendon, CNN
Updated 12:21 AM ET, Tue January 5, 2021
(CNN)Britain is officially an aircraft carrier power again.
The Royal Navy announced on Monday that the UK's Carrier Strike Group, centered on Britain's largest ever warship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, had achieved initial operating capability.
The designation means the 65,000-ton carrier, its air assets including F-35 stealth fighter jets and helicopters, as well as its escorting destroyers, frigates, submarines and supply ships, are ready to deploy within five days of receiving orders to do so.
Qualified pilots and ground crews are on notice.
(...SNIPPED)

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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2021 6:57 pm 
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HMS Queen Elizabeth is also slated to pass through the South China Sea, where the US, UK and a number of other allies are trying to ward off China's encroachment on that disputed area. This is quite ironic she would pass through waters that are not that far from where the last namesake of her sister ship was sunk in 1941.

Military.com

Quote:
British Aircraft Carrier Departs on Landmark Deployment with Marine Corps F-35s Aboard
5 May 2021
Military.com | By Gina Harkins
U.S. Marines from an Arizona-based fighter attack squadron have joined a British naval crew to form the biggest fifth-generation carrier air wing in the world.
F-35B Joint Strike Fighter jets from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 will carry out missions in the Mediterranean Sea, Middle East and Asia-Pacific region from aboard the British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth. The ship left Portsmouth Harbor, United Kingdom, on Saturday. It's the Royal Navy carrier's maiden deployment.

(...SNIPPED)

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