HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)
| File:QE class carrier.jpg Artist depiction of the Queen Elizabeth class CATOBAR design
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Ordered | 20 May 2008 |
| Builder | list error: <br /> list (help) BAE Systems Surface Ships Thales Group Babcock Marine |
| Laid down | 7 July 2009 [1] |
| Homeport | HMNB Portsmouth |
| Identification | IMO number: 4907892 |
| Motto | list error: <br /> list (help) Semper Eadem ("Always the Same") |
| Status | Expected to enter service in 2016[2] |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement | 65,600 tonnes (64,600 long tons)[4] |
| Length | 284 metres (932 ft) |
| Beam | list error: <br /> list (help) 39 metres (waterline) 73 metres overall |
| Draught | 11 metres[3] |
| Decks | 16,000 square metres |
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Range | 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km) |
| Capacity | 1,450 |
| Complement | 600 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) Phalanx CIWS 30 mm guns and mini-guns to counter asymmetric threats.[6] |
| Aircraft carried | list error: mixed text and list (help) Tailored air group of up to 40 aircraft:
|
| Aviation facilities | Hangar below deck and two aircraft lifts. |
HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the first of the Royal Navy's two new Queen Elizabeth class supercarriers and is scheduled to enter service in 2016 according to information in November 2011,[2] but had previously been said to be due to enter service in 2020.[7][8] She will be the second ship to be called HMS Queen Elizabeth, named after Queen Elizabeth I.
Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship, Prince of Wales, will be the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. They are multi purpose carriers that can adapt to complete multiple roles. Capable of carrying forty aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II, Chinook or Merlin helicopters, they will provide a major capability upgrade from the current Invincible class carriers. Both ships of the class will be based at HMNB Portsmouth.[9]
Design and construction
On 25 July 2007 the then Defence Secretary Des Browne, announced the £3.8bn order for the two new carriers.[10] On 11 December 2008, Defence Secretary John Hutton announced that the two ships would enter service one or two years later than the originally planned dates of 2014 and 2016.[11] The in-service date was further extended to 2020 in The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010.[7]
Construction of Queen Elizabeth is, as of 2010[update], well under-way.[12] The Queen Elizabeth class ships will be assembled in the Firth of Forth at Rosyth Royal Dockyard from nine blocks built in six UK shipyards; BAE Systems Surface Ships in Glasgow, Babcock at Appledore, Babcock at Rosyth, A&P Tyne in Hebburn, BAE at Portsmouth and Cammell Laird (flight decks) at Birkenhead.[13][14] Two of the lower main blocks, together weighing more than 6,000 tonnes and forming part of the base of the ship, were assembled and joined into one piece on 30 June 2011.[15]
Number One dry dock at Rosyth has been modified to accommodate one of the Queen Elizabeth class vessels at a time.[16]
Carrier Air Wing
Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multi-role fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defence missions with stealth capability. The F-35C carrier variant features larger wings with foldable wingtip sections, larger wing and tail control surfaces for improved low-speed control, stronger landing gear for the stresses of carrier arrested landings, a twin-wheel nose gear, and a stronger tail-hook for use with carrier arrestor cables. The F-35 has been designed to have a low radar cross section primarily due to stealthy materials used in construction, including fibre mat.
The aircraft initially selected to be used on the carriers was the Short Take Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 Lightning II, known as the F-35B. However, on 19 October 2010, David Cameron announced that the UK would change their order to the carrier variant (F-35C) and that the carrier design would be modified to use a catapult launch and arrestor recovery (CATOBAR) system to allow for the launch and recovery of these aircraft.[17] The F-35C variant has a greater range and the ability to carry a larger and more diverse payload.[18] However under present plans only the second ship of the class HMS Prince of Wales will be fitted to CATOBAR standard.[19]
Lynx Wildcat
An improved version of the Westland Super Lynx military helicopter, the Lynx WIldcat, entering service with the Royal Navy in 2015, will doubtless make up a significant number of the helicopters aboard both Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers. It will have room for seven passengers, a top speed of 187mph and a range of 520nmi. It will be armed with forward firing CRV7 rockets and machine guns, pintle mounted machine gun (eg FN MAG or Browning M2), Air-to-Surface Missile system: Thales Lightweight Multi-Role Missile (LMM),[14] possibly Hellfire[15] and Torpedoes and depth charges.
Merlin
The Merlin is a medium-lift helicopter that performs a wide variety of functions for the Royal Navy. It performs exceptionally in an Anti-Submarine role. A chin-mount FLIR is fitted to some variants.[24] The AW101 (excluding the ASM MK1) is equipped with chaff and flare dispensers, directed infrared countermeasures (infrared jammers), ESM (electronic support measures, in the form of RF [radio frequency] heads), and a laser detection and warning system. It has two hard points for weapon carriers, on which the HM Mk1 model can carry four Sting Ray torpedoes or Mk 11 Mod 3 depth charges, though at present cannot use the Sea Skua missile. The Mk1, Mk3 and 3a variants can mount General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs) in up to 5 locations in the main cabin pointing out of door and window apertures.
Royal Navy Merlin HM2 helicopters have seen action in the Caribbean, on counter-narcotics and hurricane support duties. They have also been active in Iraq, providing support to British and coalition troops on the ground, as well as maritime security duties in the North Persian Gulf.
Drones
It is also possible that by the time the carrier comes into service, a variety of drones will be able to be deployed from her decks.
See also
References
- ^ "Work begins on aircraft carriers". BBC News. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ a b "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 21 Nov 2011". HM Government. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) MOD website. retrieved 21 May 2008
- ^ Royal Navy: A Global Force 2009 (PDF) p. 70; accessed 14 Feb 2010
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/surface-fleet/future-ships/queen-elizabeth-class/facts-and-figures/index.htm
- ^ a b "Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The Strategic Defence and Security Review." HM Government, 19 October 2010. Retrieved: 19 October 2010.
- ^ "NAO Defence Major Projects Report 2009 Table 3 page 11 (15 of Pdf)" (PDF). The Stationary Office. 2009. p. 14. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6914788.stm MOD confirms carrier order | BBC News Retrieved 11 December 2008
- ^ "Aircraft carriers delayed". BBC. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ Shipping Times Navy's new carriers take shape in Scotland: Build programme 'well under way'...
- ^ "Cammell Laird wins £50m Royal Navy warship contract". Liverpool Echo. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ Construction begins at Navy's new carriers' Portsmouth base
- ^ http://www.navynews.co.uk/news/1277-another-giant-piece-of-the-carrier-jigsaw-slots-into-place.aspx
- ^ Hoyle, Craig."Cameron: UK to swap JSFs to carrier variant, axe Harrier and Nimrod". Flightglobal.com, 19 October 2010.
- ^ Wilson, Amy (10 November 2010). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/8121214/Babcock-says-Aircraft-carrier-changes-will-add-up-to-800m-to-taxpayer-bill.html "Babcock says Aircraft carrier changes will add up to �800m to taxpayer bill"]. The Daily Telegraph. London.
{{cite news}}: replacement character in|title=at position 54 (help) - ^ "Navy too small". Defence Management. Retrieved 25 November 2011.