Royal Navy awards catapult programme for new Carriers....

[Stratofreighter]

Questions, questions...

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Speculation mounting over carrier fighter jet

Published Date:
20 August 2010

By Sion Donovan
Defence correspondent

Royal Navy pilots have been sent to America to train on catapult-launched fighter jets - prompting speculation the cheaper aircraft will be bought for the new Portsmouth-based carriers.

Two Queen Elizabeth class carriers are due to have 150 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets onboard.

The Lockheed Martin-built fighter planes will have a short take off and vertical landing - the same technique used by the Harriers.

But the estimated cost has risen dramatically over the past nine years to £262bn.

The MoD has confirmed a group of 12 Royal Navy pilots will undergo training with the US Marine Corps over the next eight years - including training on the catapult-launched F-18 fighter jets.

It's thought that as part of the government's defence spending review, the MoD is looking at other options and could buy the cheaper, catapult-launched version of the F-35 instead.

The MoD has denied it was looking to axe the jets.

But recently power conversion specialist, Converteam, said it had been awarded a £650,000 contract from the MoD to develop an electromagnetic catapult system suitable for the new aircraft carriers.

Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, who sits on the Commons defence committee, said: 'It's been a long time since British ships had catapult launched fighters so pilots would need training if that's the direction we're heading. There are a lot of unanswered questions.

'It's not certain whether the Joint Strike Fighters will be up for the job and they're incredibly expensive at a time when the MoD are looking to reduce costs.

'We might even have the situation where we have aircraft carriers built but no aircraft to put on them.'

The contractual decision on what type of F-35 to buy does not have to be made until early in 2011.

Carrier builders BAE said the ships wouldn't require a significant redesign as they've been designed to have flexible platforms.

But an MoD spokesman said 'it would be wrong to assume' that it had a preference for a catapult-launched version of the F-35.

The carriers are due to come into service from 2016 and 2018

Last Updated: 20 August 2010 11:25 AM

[Coati]

Again, pure speculation, the RN is sending some of it's FAA pilots to the US to exchange. Seeing the numbers (12 pilots in 8 years), of which "some" will be trained on USMC Hornets "which are catapult capable". Seems like a normal exchange program with the USMC. I can guess that others will be trained on AV-8Bs which are "VTOL capable", what does that tell?

And there is no decision made yet, so it seems weird for the FAA to anticipate a decision and therefore already send pilots to the US for this purpose. It would be more logical to send them to the USN instead of the USMC if this story should be true.

So IMO just pure speculation of the press, based on ....nothing actually.

[Hans Rolink]

Lots of British pilots heave been flying just about anything in the US for the past few decades. Besides, if a switch to catapults on the carriers would be imminent, than surely suitably trained deck personell would also be needed. As long as we don't read anything about this, nothing is about to happen in this respect.
IIRC, the French used to train their deck personell in the US as well.

Hans.

[SquAdmin]

Could be, but if this:

But recently power conversion specialist, Converteam, said it had been awarded a £650,000 contract from the MoD to develop an electromagnetic catapult system suitable for the new aircraft carriers.

is true, there's more going on.

[nils]

i think it would be wise for the RN to have CATOBAR capable carriers, they would not only be able to use the F-35B, but could also operate more capable aircraft such as the E-2D, F/A-18, Rafale,...

another advantage is multinational cooperation, not only britain, but also the US and france could benifit (especially france). cause french Rafale pilots could operate from the CVF's when the CdG is not available (refit, maintianance, repairs...)

[Hans Rolink]

i think it would be wise for the RN to have CATOBAR capable carriers, they would not only be able to use the F-35B, but could also operate more capable aircraft such as the E-2D, F/A-18, Rafale,...

another advantage is multinational cooperation, not only britain, but also the US and france could benifit (especially france). cause french Rafale pilots could operate from the CVF's when the CdG is not available (refit, maintianance, repairs...)

All very good points. The reason why the Royal Navy went for STOVL in the first place was that it was denied real carriers after CVA-01 was cancelled in the sixties and HMS Eagle and HMS Ark Royal retired during the seventies. The Sea Harriers were a sort of surrogate for the Phantoms and Buccaneers on the old Ark. At least that is how they were seen back then. That they performed so marvelously is a bonus.
The new British carriers appear to have been designed with electromagnetic catapults in mind for a future refit, as they would be expected to outlast the F-35B. Maybe the cats will be installed much earlier, we'll see.

Hans.