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Pompey News: "Carriers ‘May Have No Jets Until 2025’

Winds me right up this does. We friggin' invented aircraft carriers. We've designed and built some of the greatest carrier-borne strike aircraft ever flown.

How did we get this soooooo wrong?
 
We`ve got 3 Stringbags in flying condition, and another at Duxford, they could manage without the Cats and Traps, so all is not lost :slow:
 
It is a shameful set of affairs that the MoD decided to prematurely retire/sell/scrap the Illustrious-class carriers and the Harrier force. We don't have the benefit of hindsight, but it appears logical to me that the RN would have been MUCH better off had they pursued a C/TOL carrier employing an air wing of F-18E/Fs, E-2D and Merlin helicopters. For the all the development costs involved with the F-35B/C and the carriers it is very likely that THREE carriers could have been built with squadrons to equip their air wings. As it is, I don't see how 6 Type 26 DDs and 19 FFs is going to be enough for the RN to carry out a worldwide mission. Anyway, I hope that they get this sorted out...
 
It makes one wonder who is formulating the strategy for the future of the UK's survival as an island nation it's essential to have a strong Navy. The carriers are only essential if the powers that be have decided to become followers instead of leaders at-sea. I think that the decision to build these carriers in the UK was purely political and a way to keep the emaciated shipbuilding industry going. The clusterf**k with the F-35 isn't helping things along any and building these ships for CTOL and F/A-18E and Fs would be FAR cheaper and still give the RN a larger, relevant and cheaper sea-going fighter/attack aircraft. I would be interested to see a comparison of just how much more capability you get with the F-35 vs. the F-18E/F.
 

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