Aircraft Carriers II (Closed to posting)

[Jeff Head]

I've seen the mock-up of the X-47B with foled wings but not the real deal.

Someone I know aboard the USS Harry S Truman stated this about the X-47B.

Actually, the X-47 is going with CVN-77, which is fine by me. That thing is a pain in the ass to get in the hangar bay.

I hate to hear this.

It should not be so. They know the dimensions of the hanger bay and the openings and height, etc. and this thing was supposed to be designed to operate there.

Hopefully, since this is a prototype, they will take the input back and the correct dimensions and any "fit" issues will be made right in the production builds. I know it's wings fold, but you would think they would have had this figured out. They have built aircraft for the US Navy before.
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[bd popeye]

Exactly Jeff, it's a prototype. Not the real deal. Long ways from the production. According to wicked_hind the wings do not fold on this prototype..hence the handling problems.

 

[asif iqbal]

Here is a pic I snapped tonight when I was driving over the Forth Road bridge, you can see in the distance the blue over head crane, sorry about the quality, I was doing 60mph driving with one hand and taking picture on my iPhone with the other while shaking too

I could get hell of a lot closer if I drove down there but I am always driving home to get home for dinner, but I will try and make this a weekly thing and sometime I will stop by during the day and find a good spot and get some real nice snaps

In the picture it looks far away but infact I could clearly see the front island, but I took the picture so it feels good!

 

[Jeff Head]

All about India's Indegenpous Aircraft Carriers

The Indian Defence Minister, A.K. Antony has announced that the indegenous Indian Aircraft Carrier (IAC) will be launched on August 12th.

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PANAJI: Indian Navy's indigenously-built aircraft carrier would be launched on August 12 this year, while INS Vikramaditya (purchased from Russia) will arrive before the end of 2013, Union defence minister A K Antony said here on Saturday.

"INS Vikramaditya is going to be a reality, as promised the ship would be delivered before the end of this year," Antony told reporters after the commissioning of fighter aircraft MiG29K into Navy at INS Hansa here.

"While on one side Vikramaditya is coming this year, on August 12 we are going to launch indigenous aircraft carrier at Cochin," he said, without elaborating further.

Asserting that the country was giving a thrust to modernisation of defence forces, Antony said, "Navy modernisation is one area where we are going fast-paced now.

"Almost all the navies of important countries want close cooperation with the Indian Navy," he said.

Well, while they say that this will occur, and they mayt well "launch" what they have in August, two things:

1) They indicate that it will be FIVE YEARS after the launch before she is in service. That's a long time and indicates either a huge logistical problem in getting the systems in to fit her out, or that she really is not ready to launch.

2) I have seen NO PICTURES of any progress on her for well over a year...and I have looked. She was prematurely and temporarily launched many months ago when she was at about 16,000 tons (out of 40,000) to make room for more construction after some of her gear boxes were found to be faulty they had to replace it. I have not seen any new pictures of progress since that time.

Supposedly, the gear boxes arrived and she was redocked, and the gear boxes installed in January...but it is very questionable how much progress they will make between January and August.

So, we shall see. I would expect that they would make a big deal out of the launch of their 1st indegenous carrier, and I look forward to seeing pictures of how she actually looks when she is launched.

Here's how she looked in late 2011 when she was taken out to make room for other construction...and as far as I have seen, she doesn;t look much different now unkless ne wpictures come out shopwing so:

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[bingo]

Re: India to launch indigenous aircraft carrier in August: Antony

^^^ And you opened a new thread for this.

Any reason? - apart from that you wanted to highlight this, way out of proportion !!!

 

[Jeff Head]

Re: India to launch indigenous aircraft carrier in August: Antony

^^^ And you opened a new thread for this.

Any reason? - apart from that you wanted to highlight this, way out of proportion !!!

Perhaps a better name for the thread would be "All about Indegenous Indian Aircraft Carrier(s).

But yes, a new, indegenous carrier for India and its immennt launch date is something worth highlighting in the World Military area...and is not out of proportion IMHO.

Though, as I say, having the thread being about the Indegnous Indian Carrier overall and not just its launch would probably be a better idea.

Popeye, tphuang, mods, please fix/change as you deem best.

 

[Jeff Head]

All about Australia's Canberra Class LHD Carriers

The first of the Australian Canberra Class LHD amphibious assault vessels, HMAS Canberra, LHD-02, is nearing launch:

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She was officially christened on 15 February 2013

She displaces 27,500 tons and be able to embark up to 1,200 troops and their equipment. She can carry up to 18 helos and has place on deck for simulatneous operation of 6 medium helos, or four large helos. She retains a 13 degree ski-jump ramp forward on the flight deck for fixed wing aircraft launches, though at the current time Australia does not intend to embark Joint Strike Fighters on the vessels...though American or British aircraft could certainly cross deck.

Unlike the Spanish carrier, the Juan Carlos, the Australian vessels are built to Lloyd's Naval standards.

She is due to undergo final launch and conduct sea trials the late spring through summer and fall of 2013, and then be commissioned into the Australian Navy in March 2014. The second, HMAS Adelaide, LHD-01, will follow in late 2015 to early 2016.

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[Jeff Head]

Two new carriers ready for launch

AUSTRALIA: HMAS Canberra LHD-02:

The first of the Australian Canberra Class LHD amphibious assault vessels, HMAS Canberra, LHD-02, is nearing launch:

​

INDIA: INS Vikrant,the Indian Indegenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC):/

The Indian Defence Minister, A.K. Antony has announced that the indegenous Indian Aircraft Carrier (IAC) will be launched on August 12th.

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PANAJI: Indian Navy's indigenously-built aircraft carrier would be launched on August 12 this year, while INS Vikramaditya (purchased from Russia) will arrive before the end of 2013, Union defence minister A K Antony said here on Saturday.

"INS Vikramaditya is going to be a reality, as promised the ship would be delivered before the end of this year," Antony told reporters after the commissioning of fighter aircraft MiG29K into Navy at INS Hansa here.

"While on one side Vikramaditya is coming this year, on August 12 we are going to launch indigenous aircraft carrier at Cochin," he said, without elaborating further.

Asserting that the country was giving a thrust to modernisation of defence forces, Antony said, "Navy modernisation is one area where we are going fast-paced now.

"Almost all the navies of important countries want close cooperation with the Indian Navy," he said.

Well, while India says this will happen and they may well "launch" what they have in August, two issues:

1) They indicate that it will be FIVE YEARS after the launch before she is in service. That's a long time and indicates either a huge logistical problem in getting the systems in to fit her out, or that she really is not ready to launch.

2) I have seen NO PICTURES of any progress on her for well over a year...and I have looked. She was prematurely and temporarily launched many months ago when she was at about 16,000 tons (out of 40,000) to make room for more construction after some of her gear boxes were found to be faulty. They had to replace them. I have not seen any new pictures of progress since that time.

Supposedly, the gear boxes arrived and she was redocked, and the gear boxes installed in January...but it how much progress will they make between January and August?

So, we shall see. I would expect that they would make a big deal out of the launch of their 1st indegenous carrier, and I look forward to seeing pictures of how she actually looks when she is launched.

Here's how she looked in late 2011 when she was taken out to make room for other construction...and as far as I have seen, she doesn;t look much different now unkless ne wpictures come out shopwing so:

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[bd popeye]

Big news for the X-47B..

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Next week the Navy will launch its experimental fixed winged unmanned aerial vehicle on its first flight from an aircraft carrier, Naval Air System Command officials told USNI News on Tuesday.

Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Aircraft Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) is planned to be launched from the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) on May, 14, several sources told USNI News.

NAVAIR would not confirm an exact date for the launch.

The X-47B will do at least one launch using the ship’s steam powered catapult and preform so-called touch and goes onboard the deck of the Bush, according to NAVAIR. The X-47B was loaded onboard Bush Monday at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

The plane however will not conduct an arrested landing onboard the aircraft carrier.

On May, 4, an X-47B made its first arrested landing at a terrestrial Navy test facility at Patuxent River, Md.

“Landing an unmanned aircraft on an aircraft carrier will be the greatest singular accomplishment for the UCAS demonstration and will serve as the culmination of over a decade of Navy unmanned carrier integration work”, said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager in a Monday statement from NAVAIR.

 

[PanAsian]

Re: All about Australia's Canberra Class LHD Carriers

I can see the PLAN wanting a similar LHD design, with the capacity to launch fixed wing aircraft if needed.