TYPHOOOOOOOOOOOON!

[Woodlouse2002]

The Navy has needed a large carrier since they scrapped HMS Hermes. The government isn't going to be allowed to get out of building this new one. Especially if the JSF can't operate from the old ones. (Or the new ones for that matter. )

[Hagar]

If the JSF can't operate from the new carriers, which from what I hear seems quite likely, what do we need them for?

[Craig.]

Thus the reason final design hasn't been decided on yet. If it cant use the ramp. They will have to go with catapults. Which has been planned for anyway. But would still require some mods to the design.

[bm]

Crazy :-/ - Dump all of these new fangled things that don't work and just use the good old hawks

[Hagar]

More delay. The way I see it they might just as well have gone with the catapults & used a conventional naval aircraft instead of all this messing about & goodness knows what expense. We could have had a supersonic Harrier with genuine VSTOL capabilities back in the 70s but of course we lost that due to the same sort of muddled thinking.

[Craig.]

There wont be a delay due to a change. Just extra costs

[Hagar]

There wont be a delay due to a change.

Tell that to the Marines.

Sorry Craig, I couldn't resist that but this is a familiar story I'm afraid. Things don't change much, in fact it gets worse.

[Woodlouse2002]

Never mind. In 2020 we shall have one new carrier, no doubt called Ark Royal because the queen could well have popped her clogs by then and the other one will be half built on a slipway somewhere. The planes will be able to take off. But only if they're carrying no weapons and half a tank of fuel and if we're very lucky the ship will have propellers to enable movement. She will then be run aground and sunk in a training excersise in the Western Isles and England will haver her carrier problem once again.

[C]

The Navy has needed a large carrier since they scrapped HMS Hermes.

Maybe we should buy it back from the Indian Navy...

[Woodlouse2002]

Now there's an idea.

[Craig.]

Dont get me wrong Doug, i know there will be delays, just the change in design shouldn't cause any in theory.

[Hagar]

Good one Woody. Sadly, there's more than a hint of truth in that. Strangely enough I'm reading through some old copies of the RAF Flying Review magazine that someone gave me. The May 1961 issue has a headline on the front cover asking: "Does Britain Need Fleet Air Arm?" in big black letters. The editorial suggests using land based aircraft from carriers. This is much the same as the Joint Strike Force which is happening right now, over 40 years later. In the same issue is a big feature on the Hawker P.1127 which had just carried out its preliminary flight tests. And people wonder why I appear cynical.

[Woodlouse2002]

As far as I see it it goes like this. The army has a gun that doesn't fire. The Air force has a plane that has only just been proven to exist, that also has a gun that doesn't work. The navy will have planes that cannot take off on carriers that arn't finished. So it's all balanced out. After all, you can't be seen to favour one branch of the armed forces and just ignore the rest can you?

[C]

The JCA's weight will be sorted at some point. It will however hopefully be a revolutionary aircraft in terms of new technologies...

[HH]

I couldn't hold back the thought but, in remembrance: the UK  started WW2 with shipboard Swordfish biplanes - shouldn't it maintain tradition and start a naval jet war with Seafires or something? Imagine the fun of catching up under the stress!