Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier question

[Aircav]

Hi
Does anyone know what the aircraft tail letter code will be for the new HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier?
Thanks
Steve

[The Wooksta!]

U for Unlikely, as I doubt it'll get finished, let alone into service given the stautus of the public finances, ie we're broke. 

Yet strangely we can afford a billion poundsworth of aid to a nuclear state such as India.  Which promptly bought a billion quidsworth of arms from the Russians.

[deathjester]

U for Unlikely, as I doubt it'll get finished, let alone into service given the stautus of the public finances, ie we're broke. 

Yet strangely we can afford a billion poundsworth of aid to a nuclear state such as India.  Which promptly bought a billion quidsworth of arms from the Russians.

Ah, but think, if we didn't do that, there would be none of our "allies" that we could have a fight with in a few years time, the Russians would complain about unfair trade, but the hungry folks would still be hungry - at least they're consistant...

[McGreig]

Yet strangely we can afford a billion poundsworth of aid to a nuclear state such as India.  Which promptly bought a billion quidsworth of arms from the Russians.

1) I thought that we had a "no politics" rule - UK overseas aid is a live political issue with marginal relevance to Carrier code letters
2) there's no such thing as a free lunch - UK aid (and any other country's) is looked on as an investment to generate influence and trade (and the UK Foreign Office is unhappy that the Department for International Development is becoming too influential in UK foreign policy)
3) given India's geographical location and the politics of the area, I doubt that anyone would argue that it shouldn't have up-to-date and effective armed forces - if they're buying Russian instead of British maybe we should remember why they chose the MiG-21 over the Lightning and offer a better deal!

[The Wooksta!]

My point is that if you can afford to develop your own nuclear weapons, you do not need aid.

[ysi_maniac]

When I read the title, I imagined a Warspite hull with flight deck.
BTW, this config ( hybrid mode ) would be

[deathjester]

The other question is will we actually have any fighters to stick on the carrier, when (and if) it's finished!!?
Would the RN consider leasing naval aircraft from the USA to fill the gap until JSF is ready? (If ever!) And what other aircraft are slated for these carriers, AEW, COD, etc?

[McGreig]

My point is that if you can afford to develop your own nuclear weapons, you do not need aid.

Point taken, and it's a valid point of view shared by a lot of people.

But a lot of people would also disagree - the new International Development Secretary carefully avoided committing to cutting Indian aid in his radio interview - hence my possibly over-sensitive comment re politics.

And Aircav still doesn't have an answer to his original question - - - 

[Aircav]

Aircav still doesn't have an answer to his original question - - - 

Your right, I don't give a stuff weather we get them or not just what the might be.

[Thorvic]

Q

Q would be the letter on FAA aircraft assigned to R08 HMS Queen Elizabeth.

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/surface-fleet/future-ships/queen-elizabeth-class/photo-gallery/*/changeNav/00h00100100a003006/imageIndex/34/

However it does depend on what if any Squadrons are directly assigned to the Carrier, if the RN can get the aircraft back from the crap RAF centric JFH then they will likely sport FAA markings again. I suspect that once the carriers come into service, the RAF will find themselves jnr partners on the Aircraft (whatever it may be) that are ordered to operate from the carriers.

G

[Jschmus]

Just out of curiosity, I googled "Queen Elizabeth tail code", and the second reference to that combination was this thread.  The first was:

"Queen Elizabeth Park Monkey Tail Tree..."

which directed me to this:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2615872850041044740bNiXqn

[Nick]

The F-35C (carrier version) has flown. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a7a2d9339-c8eb-46da-a27c-a3f620f10c26&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

[ChrisF]

Ok lots to mention. There is no will we wont we involved in weather the carriers will be finished, number one most of the money has already moved and stuff paid for by this point and two to scrap the whole idea would cost more than to keep going... See its not just the carriers themselves its all the companies and people that work on these projects... Scrap the carriers and you'd have to find jobs for half of glasgow birmingham and a large amount in london.. the maths just dont add up... (Oh and now its a conservative gov, tradition states they will most likely spend largely on the military anyway)

As for the "other aircraft" the navy website shows "The maximum expected Air Group to be embarked is 36 Joint Strike Fighters and four Airborne Early Warning aircraft" The AEW is expected to still be the latest update Sea king at least until the obvious end of its service life.... Although some artist impressions also show Merlins, and Predator UAV's on deck...

[PR19_Kit]

Scrap the carriers and you'd have to find jobs for half of glasgow birmingham and a large amount in london..

...and half of North Devon as well. Large chunks of the carriers are built at Appledore Shipyards, and they've already delivered the bow section of the 'QE' herself.

[Thorvic]

As for the "other aircraft" the navy website shows "The maximum expected Air Group to be embarked is 36 Joint Strike Fighters and four Airborne Early Warning aircraft" The AEW is expected to still be the latest update Sea king at least until the obvious end of its service life.... Although some artist impressions also show Merlins, and Predator UAV's on deck...

It will be Merlin AEW, the Seakings are earmarked for retirement across the board in 2015, the RAF Merlins gon the navy as Junglies, the RAF get the 20 Chinooks instead and some of the Navys Merlin HMA1 that are not earmarked for HMA2 upgrades will instead get AEW upgrade.

Yeap the ships themselves are pretty secure in the building program now as the costs in cancelling and its impact both economically and capability are far greater than any possible savings. However the Airgroup does become a rather different question as the F-35s rapidly skyrocketing costs puts serious strain on the viability of providing a credible & capable airgroup. You can see the new Govt looking for cheaper alternatives possible off the shelf aircraft from our allies

G