Aircraft Carriers II (Closed to posting)
- Thread starter Jeff Head
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Check this out! When shall be in commission? Like that ski ramp..perfect for F-35Bs!!!
Wow that's some fast progress, and a good looking ship... dayum.
I've always felt a similar vessel would be perfect for PLAN operations and would complement the type 071's in amphibious operations. Maybe China could ask spain to build some?
Wow that's some fast progress, and a good looking ship... dayum.
I've always felt a similar vessel would be perfect for PLAN operations and would complement the type 071's in amphibious operations. Maybe China could ask spain to build some?
You jest of course. I bet China could build these type ships..one of these centuries.
kwaigonegin
Colonel
Check this out! When shall be in commission? Like that ski ramp..perfect for F-35Bs!!!
As of now I do not believe the RAN has any plans of buying the F-35Bs (even though it has a skiramp). This ship won't go into service till early 2014 after fitting out. BAE will be building the superstructure in Australia that's why the launch is hull only.
Looks like RAN will have a fairly modernized and competent surface warfare around 2015-2020 with these 2 LHD and possibly 4 new Hobart class DDGs during that time frame.
If they decide to operate F-35Bs off of these ship it will significantly add to their combat capabilities albeit only 4 or 5 can operate from these ships.
This vessel is based on Spain's Juan Carlos. The Jaun carlos was built specifically with a multi-role mission in mind, either as amphibious assauly, where indeed it would probably carry no more than 6 jump jets for support of the embarked troops, or as a Sea Control Carrier where it can carry up to 30 aircraft. In that role, if operating as more of a true carrier, it would carry somewhere between 12 and 18 Joint Strike Fighters.
These vessels are capable of embarking as any as 30 aircraft.
I believe the Australians will fly the VTOL version. the Carrier version will not operate off of the Canberra simply because they cannot conduct an arrested landing on her deck. Australia is firmly committed to 14 aircraft at this point, but will probably buy upowards of 100 before it is all said and done. I expect that the strike aircraft that fly off of the two Canberra class, if the Aussies fly any fixed wing aircraft off of them at all, will by F-35Bs.
Ambivalent
Junior Member
Maybe the Aussies will buy the F-35B, but you can bet there will be a years long urinating competition over whether the RAAF or RAN will fly them.
These will be larger than Australia's previous carriers, Sydney and Melbourn. I hope the mates can do a better job of maintaining them than they have of the Kanimbla and Manoora, both of which were laid up for substandard material condition due to a lack of maintenance when Cyclone Yasi ripped through Queensland.
These will be larger than Australia's previous carriers, Sydney and Melbourn. I hope the mates can do a better job of maintaining them than they have of the Kanimbla and Manoora, both of which were laid up for substandard material condition due to a lack of maintenance when Cyclone Yasi ripped through Queensland.
Ambivalent
Junior Member
The Aussies can't even staff the ships they have. Most are tied up for lack of crew. Too many good paying jobs in WA, no one wants to work for a song in the RAN these days. Aussie is the only country in the developed world that wasn't hammered economically the last couple of years.
Spartan95
Junior Member
Aboslutely true.
The booming economy is gutting the ranks of the ADF. An anecdote I heard was that an RAN engineering officer left service and took up a similar job in a commercial company for 3 times his RAN pay. And this is for doing essentially the same job.....
Maybe the ADF can consider recruiting from the British military now with the cuts in Britain. This has happened before and it certainly beats training new personnel from scratch.
Ambivalent
Junior Member
You're behind the power curve Jeff. They've been recruiting (poaching?) ex RN staff for a few years now. The savings in training is less than you think. The RN and RAN are very differently equipped, and RN staff are clueless when confronted with the systems the RAN uses. They need a lot of remedial training to get to a level commensurate with their former RN rate or rank.
I considered my opportunities in WA too. Sometimes I still do, sigh. If only WA wasn't so isolated. It's a two day drive across the Nullarbor ( Null Arbor, no trees ) from Perth to Adelaide with nothing in between, and there is pretty much nothing surrounding Perth and Freemantle to see. It's almost like living on an island.
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