Rum Ration
the Navy Network

This saga goes on and on , and will do for some time to come. For years the Navy have had to fight and cajole the powers to be about the need for a carrier capability. That what we once had has sadly gone, never to return, we are left with these ongoing stories about what might be or what could be. Around us there are countries that now have a reasonable presence in the carrier concept, just let us standby and watch and forget the idea that we will ever have anything near the capability we once had. Never mind the fact that we cannot afford all this imagined stuff. Most of us will be 6ft under and never see these pipedreams take place.

"Cats and Flaps" - PMSL!!!! Cats and Traps, surely??

It seems that we've got ourselves into a right mess with this project, and we're now kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. STOVL will be easier to implement but more expensive with a smaller range and payload (and it's not without it's own development problems either). CV version will have a better range and payload but is much riskier to implement requiring an expensive carrier conversion and complete retraining of personnel. Plus it has major developmental issues that will delay the aircraft until 2022 at least.

The interoperabiity argument is flawed - the cynic in me says that we want a conventional carrier so that US and French aircraft can operate from it, not so that WE can operate from their carriers. That way we can still feel as if we are contributing even if we have no aircraft of our own.

I can see this becoming too expensive to go either way, and pulling out all together. A great shame.

I think that the RN would have been better off from the get-go if they had gone with the FA-18E/F. The amount of capability increase offered by the F-35 is not that much greater than the capability of current technology. The F-35 is a mess of a program and could wind up going the way of the RAH-66 Comanche that cost billions in development, but ultimately wasn't that much more capable than the AH-64 or AH-1Z. The F-18 would have also offered a cost-savings, and been operational sooner, which offered the RN power-projection capability without a gap.

Originally Posted by BE19Pilot

I think that the RN would have been better off from the get-go if they had gone with the FA-18E/F. The amount of capability increase offered by the F-35 is not that much greater than the capability of current technology. The F-35 is a mess of a program and could wind up going the way of the RAH-66 Comanche that cost billions in development, but ultimately wasn't that much more capable than the AH-64 or AH-1Z. The F-18 would have also offered a cost-savings, and been operational sooner, which offered the RN power-projection capability without a gap.

Aye, I would have liked to have seen RN flying F18's. A little less on the stealth side but it's not like we haven't got infinitely capable T45's to provide death-shields wherever we like.

VSTOL it is then ..... for the time being before another change of mind.

I think that they just couldn't afford to change all the computer-generated press release videos from STOVL to CV

Lygo's achievements included securing state aid for the Airbus 320 launch, helped by good relations with the industry minister, Norman Tebbit, a fellow pilot. He was typically outspoken about BAe's practice, under the old cost-plus system, of doubling or trebling prices to the Ministry of Defence by changing specifications, and worked towards fixed-price contracts.

The late Raymond Lygo hit the nail on the head years ago, why don't people listen?

EarlyChop. Remind me; What's the remaining useful fatigue life of the available F18s?