Posted on 03/12/2012 9:24:59 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Cost of refitting Royal Navy aircraft carrier trebles
The costs of refitting a Royal Navy aircraft carrier so it can be used by a new generation of fighter jets have more than trebled, defence sources have told The Daily Telegraph.
Estimates for adapting HMS Prince of Wales so that it can be used by the Joint Strike Fighter are understood have risen from £500 million to £1.8 billion.
Millions have already been spent on studies to look at how to convert the ship after ministers decided to scrap the jump-jet variant of the plane in favour of a conventional take-off and landing model. But so great is the rise in total costs, ministers are considering abandoning the plan and reverting to the Ministry of Defence’s original proposals.
Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, believes there is not enough money in the budget to afford the £300 million a year to carry out the work over six years.
“We are certainly looking at what’s affordable and what can be done in terms of risk and cost,” said an MoD official. “If you have an unaffordable programme you cannot ignore it.” The move is likely to be embarrassing for the Government as the changes were at the heart of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010. It will also heighten criticism of the Government for disbanding the fleet of Harrier jets and selling them to US Marine Corps for “peanuts”.
Under the new plans, the Government is expected to choose the jump-jet version of the JSF, even though the take-off and landing model can fly further and carry more bombs.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Ideally most aircraft should be take-off and landing models
ping
Impressive.
Are those F-35’s?
Do they mean ‘’tripled’’?
Yes-those are F-35B variants.
Thanks.
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Maybe the author is a fisherman fond of three pointed hooks.
The conversion of the first carrier would be much less costly if only arrestor gear were to be retrofitted, skipping the EMALS.
I know it’s confusing - it’s British English ;-) Trebled = tripled.
Yeah right? We go to the ‘’bathroom’’ they go to the ‘’loo’’.
Two islands, yet ONE elevator? What’s wong with this picture..
Your interpretation. two lifts. #1 (shown at hangar deck level) abaft of foward island. #2 (shown at flight deck level) abaft of aft island.
Why two islands? Allows widely separated engine rooms with short intake/exhaust ducting. Also allows ship control from forward position, aircraft landing control from aft position. (Just an observation but it looks like Shiphandling of a Ford is gonna be a bitch)
I wonder if the design includes fully rotatable bow and stern thrusters to make maneuvering easier. These are common now on all cruise liners. It's really amazing now to see a 1000ft, 100,000 ton liner docking in a small harbor without a single tugboat..
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