Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF)
Background
The Invincible Class aircraft carriers were originally conceived during the Cold War as anti-submarine cruisers designed to carry a small air group, mainly consisting of anti-submarine helicopters. After the cancellation of the fleet carrier replacement programme in 1966 the term 'aircraft carrier' had become politically sensitive so the Invincible Class were initially envisaged as 'through deck cruisers'. Even under the Conservative Government formed in 1979 they were in danger of cancellation or sale, highlighted in 1981 by the announcement that HMS Invincible would join the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). However the Falklands Conflict a year later had a dramatic effect- Invincible along with Hermes provided the air power necessary to retake the islands. Upon canceling the CVA programme in 1966, the Labour government had justified the decision be claiming the Royal Air Force (RAF) would always be able to operate either from British bases in the Indian Ocean or from friendly host nations. The Falklands crisis had prove otherwise and over the following two decades the Invincible Class carriers continued to operate in roles not originally intended during recent conflicts and operations - Invincible and Illustrious acted as flagships and launched air strikes in the Gulf and Adriatic, Ark Royal was deployed to the Mediterranean as a precaution during the Persian Gulf War and Illustrious provided air cover for the British forces deployed in Sierra Leone. However meeting the requirements has been a problem: the Invincible class can only carry a limited sized airgroup and manpower and aircraft shortages alongside budget constraints have dictated only two carriers can be kept operational at any one time, with a third in refit or reserve. Some attempts have been made more recntly to rectify these problems: the carriers have operated Royal Air Force (RAF) harriers alongside harriers of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and the Sea Dart missile system have been removed from the three ships to provide more deck space for aircraft.
When studies began in 1994 into replacing the Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal, it was clear that larger carriers with a larger air wing would be required. The other options- converting a merchant vessel or carrying out service life extension programmes (SLEP) on the Invincible class- were seen as unsatisfactory, ineffective and costly. Soon after the Labour Government came to power in May 1997, the new Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, launched a review of Britain's armed forces At the centre of this was a debate on the replacement of the Invincible Class and the importance of aircraft carrier. Thankfully it concluded in the Navy's favour.
Firstly it recognised the importance of maritime-based air power: "Our conclusion is that the ability to deploy offensive air power will be central to future force projection operations. But we cannot be certain that we will always have access to suitable air bases. Even when we do, experience has shown that bases may not always be available in the early stages of a crisis, and that their infrastructure is not always able to support the full range of operations required. In these and a range of other operational circumstances, aircraft carriers can provide valuable flexibility. They can also offer a coercive presence which may forestall the need for warfighting, as recently in the Gulf. We judge that there is therefore a continuing need for Britain to have the capability offered by aircraft carriers. "
Secondly, the Review acknowledged the shortcomings of the Invincible class: "The Invincible Class carriers were designed for Cold War anti-submarine warfare operations with helicopters and a limited air defence capability provided by a small number of embarked Sea Harriers. This is no longer the main requirement. The emphasis is now on increased offensive air power, and an ability to operate the largest possible range of aircraft in the widest possible range of roles. "
Finally, it concluded "When the current carrier force reaches the end of its planned life, we plan to replace it with two larger vessels. Work will now begin to refine our requirements but present thinking suggests that they might be of the order of 30,000-40,000 tonnes and capable of deploying 50 aircraft, including helicopters".
Options
In terms of the type and design of aircraft carrier, there are three main options under consideration:
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) had called for carriers somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes in displacement. Although not as large as the American 'supercarriers' this is almost twice the size of the existing Invincible Class, that have a standard displacement of over 16,000 tonnes. It also stated the new carriers would operate around 50 aircraft, which is again more than the Invincible Class. These aircraft will be drawn from both the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and Royal Air Force (RAF). The two carriers will carry an airgroup of 40 aircraft each in peacetime. This airgroup will consist of 30 Future Carrierbourne Aircraft (FCBA), 4 Future Airbourne Early Warning (FOBEW) Aircraft, and six Merlin anti- submarine helicopters. In a time of war they would be able to carry an additional ten Future Carrier Bourne Aircraft
The carriers will not be nuclear powered as this form of propulsion would be costly to develop, operate and maintain. Instead it is likely that they will be powered by some form of Full Integrated Electric Propulsion (IFEP) and will be designed to travel at a speed of 28 knots.
Lessons learnt from the design of the Invincible Class will be incorporated into the new carriers. For example, a problem with the Invincible Class was that the aircraft lifts were positioned in the middle of the flight deck and as a result they could not be used when aircraft were leaving or returning to the ship. The new aircraft carrier however will have aircraft lifts positioned at the sides of the main deck so aircraft can operate when the lifts are in use. The flight deck may also include 'pit stops' where planes can be armed and fuelled under one operation. The vessels will also be lean manned in order to reduce running costs and to cope with personnel shortages. In fact, it is suggested that they will have similar sized complements to the existing Invincible Class, despite being much larger. Another innovation currently under evaluation is the use of magentic catapults.
The requirement for just two carriers has led to some concern and many have called for a third, including the Chairman of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee. Although at present the Royal Navy tries to operate two carriers with a third in refit or reserve it sometimes fails to meet this requirement. In 1999 for example, Illustrious was active but Invincible was undergoing a major modification in a Portsmouth dry-dock while Ark Royal was in refit at Rosyth, Scotland. It is clear that two carriers are needed to meet commitments as for instance in 1998 Invincible had to be redeployed from the Persian Gulf to Kosovo, placing a huge strain on the ship and her complement. So if the Navy can barely meet commitments with three aircraft carriers how will it manage with just two? In defence, the government claims that the carriers will undergo frequent but short maintenance periods instead of major refits, so that one can always be operational and the other at short notice.
Development
On January 25th 1999 six companies- BAe Defence Systems, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Marconi Electric Systems, Boeing and Thomson-CSF- were invited to tender for inital assessment work, three of which would be awarded contracts in the autumn. This assessment phase would firstly involve studying the different options available and then determining the design perameters. Only two companies- Thomson CSF and British Aerospace/Marconi Electric Systems (known collectively as BAe Systems- responded and were both awarded contracts. One of them will be selected as the prime contractor in 2003. The government is committed to building the carrier in the United Kingdom. Yards identified as capable of building the carriers are Harland & Wolff (Belfast), Cammal Laird (Birkenhead), Swan Hunter (Tyneside) and BAe Systems (Barrow-in-Furness, Govan and Scotstoun).
A dicision on the Future Carrier Bourne Aircraft (FCBA) will be made in 2001 allowing a decsion to be made on the variant of carrier. The first steel will be cut in 2005 and the first vessel will be launched in 2010 with an ISD (In Service Date) of 2012. The second vessel will enter service three years later.
Above: An impression of the CTOL (Conventional Take-Off and Landing) version of the CVF. This could operate a number of aircraft including a CTOL version of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the American Super Hornet or the French Rafale.
Above: An impression of STOBAR (Short Take-Off, But Arrested Recovery) version of the CVF. This type of carrier could operate a maritime version of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Above: A fourth option was submitted by BAe Systems in May 2000 for a carrier capable of operating both CTOL and STOVL aircraft.
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© Written and researched by Jeremy Olver. Last updated 29th October 2000. Disclaimer.