[RC2]

No angled flight deck? I wonder why.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

MoD announced that the Royal Navy and RAF will operate the STOVL F-35B variant. At the same time it was announced that the carriers would take the form of large, conventional carriers, initially adapted for STOVL operations. The carriers, expected to remain in service for 50 years, are designed for but not with catapults and arrestor wires.

[skimask]

That is very interesting because the British were the first to have carriers with angled decks.

[Yo-Yo]

No angled flight deck? I wonder why.

An angled flight deck is for arrested landings of conventional takeoff and landing aircraft. This ship will use the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft.

The F-35B will take off without a catapult by using a short rolling takeoff off of the bow ski jump, and land vertically on one of those white checkmark spots.

The carrier was designed to have an angled deck if for any reason the Royal Navy decided to go with a catapult takeoff/arrested landing (CATOBAR) aircraft. For the angled deck, pretty much all you have to do is repaint the lines. (And add the arrestor gear, and the catapults, and...)

Here is a pic of the CVF in both forms:

[Vanders9]

I’ll ask for you

[Tommyjo]

Not any more. The carriers will be modified with the angled deck after the UKs Strategic Defence Review yesterday. The UK has made the decision to buy F-35C instead of F-35B.