Aircraft Carriers III

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
The second the Tugs start towing Kuznetsov to China for refit. The Russian navy brass suddenly wonders if they were all named Stark because Lord Vladimir would go Game of Thrones on them. Allowing such a humiliation turning the "Pride of the Russian Navy" in to such a debacle. Putin would order them castrated.
Besides once it was done its back to square one. How to service it again?

Oh come on, Putin's a pussycat, and the poor old Admiral Kuznetsov needs some serious TLC, could probably swap another squadron of Su-35 or maybe even a squadron of????? LOL

I work on my cars too, but when they are seriously broke, I take em to a real mechanic!
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Was just driving over the new forth road bridge

It’s closer the the port and you can get better photos from the bridge

Unfortunately very heavy rain and mist

Two giant warships sitting there these are the best photos my wife could take from the car while moving

I have been doing this journey for years ever since first blocks became visible



Rnj9D6A.jpg

QAibkBV.jpg
GREAT pics!

Must be nice to come across and see both carriers there like that!
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
@bd popeye @Air Force Brat @asif iqbal @Deino @duncanidaho @Bltizo @Equation @Jura

It seems to me tht the US and her allies have settled, among other thing and ways, to face the growing munbers and capability of the PLAN, particularly in the Carrier area, is to do so by making themselves and their allies capable of fielding a large number of smaller, excort type carriers, armed with anywhere from 12 or 14 to 28 F-35Bs, and to do so quickly.

The US has been training their LHDs and LHAs to carry and work with larger and larger numbers of F-35Bs. Not just the six they would nromally carry for CAS, but with numbers in excess of 14-16, which I have seen lately.

Now we see the Izumo class Japanese being announced as to carry F-35Bs, and they will probably carry 20-24 aircraft. The Koreans have announced that they plan to do similarly with the Dokdo class.

Austrlia s now taking another look at the F-35B, and I expect India will try and see iof they can get some for their new carriers.

We know that the UK, Itly, and Spain will have them, and Turkey is talking like they would like to embark them on their new flat deck vessels as well.

So, the US, in addition to the eleven nuclear powered super carrierswhichwill have the Super Hornets and the F-35C "Charlie" will be able to bring forward 4-6 LHD/LHA escort carriers with 20-24 F-35Bs, and we will see US allies with anywhere from 4-8 small carriers in the Western Pacific.

I expect Japan will now wait and see wht happens. If the Chinese coninue to move foraward with plns to build 2 or four more carriers, I would expect Japan to build a couple of more.

I would also be surprised if Japan id not make every effort possible to enhance those carriers with better AEW and SW protection by helping develop the EV-22 AEW Oprey and the SV-22 ASW Oprey, which those vessels could cerinly use to very good effect.

It is a very interesting thing to be watching as both sides size one another up and respond, and then try and counter what the other is doing.

Here are some pics f the US doing things with F-35Bs recently on the Wasp (and they sailed through the SCS with 12-14 F-35Bs aboard, and the Essex in the Perisan Gulf, and the America as she prepares to work with a full load of aircraft. I have a couple of the QE too.

Essex-F-35-01.jpg Wasp-F-35-02.jpg Wasp-F-35-04.jpg Wasp-F-35-05.jpg America-F-35-05.jpg QE-F-35-01.jpg
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
A Few more:

America-F-35-02.jpg QE-F-35-02.jpg America-F-35-01.jpg Wasp-F-35-04.jpg Wasp-F-35-01.jpg

...and just so everyone can know...the US has deployed six of these vessels at at time before...and we coul;d do it again if need be.

Can you imagine? Four nuclear carriers, six LHD/LHAs, all carrying stealth 5th gen fighters, and then add the two Izumos and two Dokdos in support, perhaps the Canberras to...and if we really needed the help, the UK would be there. That's18 carriers we could bring to the table if necessary. Anyhow, I always did love this pic:

six-LHDs.jpg
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
@bd popeye @Air Force Brat @asif iqbal @Deino @duncanidaho @Bltizo @Equation @Jura

It seems to me tht the US and her allies have settled, among other thing and ways, to face the growing munbers and capability of the PLAN, particularly in the Carrier area, is to do so by making themselves and their allies capable of fielding a large number of smaller, excort type carriers, armed with anywhere from 12 or 14 to 28 F-35Bs, and to do so quickly.

The US has been training their LHDs and LHAs to carry and work with larger and larger numbers of F-35Bs. Not just the six they would nromally carry for CAS, but with numbers in excess of 14-16, which I have seen lately.

Now we see the Izumo class Japanese being announced as to carry F-35Bs, and they will probably carry 20-24 aircraft. The Koreans have announced that they plan to do similarly with the Dokdo class.

Austrlia s now taking another look at the F-35B, and I expect India will try and see iof they can get some for their new carriers.

We know that the UK, Itly, and Spain will have them, and Turkey is talking like they would like to embark them on their new flat deck vessels as well.

So, the US, in addition to the eleven nuclear powered super carrierswhichwill have the Super Hornets and the F-35C "Charlie" will be able to bring forward 4-6 LHD/LHA escort carriers with 20-24 F-35Bs, and we will see US allies with anywhere from 4-8 small carriers in the Western Pacific.

I expect Japan will now wait and see wht happens. If the Chinese coninue to move foraward with plns to build 2 or four more carriers, I would expect Japan to build a couple of more.

I would also be surprised if Japan id not make every effort possible to enhance those carriers with better AEW and SW protection by helping develop the EV-22 AEW Oprey and the SV-22 ASW Oprey, which those vessels could cerinly use to very good effect.

It is a very interesting thing to be watching as both sides size one another up and respond, and then try and counter what the other is doing.

Here are some pics f the US doing things with F-35Bs recently on the Wasp (and they sailed through the SCS with 12-14 F-35Bs aboard, and the Essex in the Perisan Gulf, and the America as she prepares to work with a full load of aircraft. I have a couple of the QE too.

View attachment 51751 View attachment 51752 View attachment 51753 View attachment 51754 View attachment 51755 View attachment 51756

yes, its very amazing that we are seeing more and more sophisticated combinations of F-35Bs aboard ship, this concept is maturing, Good to see you on deck tonight Brother Jeff!
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
A Few more:

View attachment 51757 View attachment 51758 View attachment 51759 View attachment 51760 View attachment 51761

...and just so everyone can know...the US has deployed six of these vessels at at time before...and we coul;d do it again if need be.

Can you imagine? Four nuclear carriers, six LHD/LHAs, all carrying stealth 5th gen fighters, and then add the two Izumos and two Dokdos in support, perhaps the Canberras to...and if we really needed the help, the UK would be there. That's18 carriers we could bring to the table if necessary. Anyhow, I always did love this pic:

View attachment 51762

That's a lot of potential airpower....
 
pretty interesting
Carrier Conundrums
part of
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:

While the Navy is preparing to fight it out in the information and cyber battlefields, it’s still bending steel on massive carriers that will push fifth-generation aircraft into the skies for decades to come.

In that respect, Spencer offered a full-throated defense of the service’s
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of the USS Harry S. Truman, which will take a relatively young carrier
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. But he also admitted he “would not turn that money down” if Congress gave him enough funding to keep the ship in service without sacrificing
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.

Spencer told lawmakers that the
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— which has endured
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while under construction — will eventually vastly outpace the Nimitz-class carriers.

The Fords will have a 30 percent higher launch capability than the Nimitz class, slash the number of sailors aboard by 25 percent, and “is a more efficient machine,” he said. “So as I look at modernizing a fleet, much like in the commercial world when organizations modernize aircraft, trucks, cars, ships, they will go for 25 percent efficiencies and abandon the [older] assets that they have. This not an easy decision whatsoever, but in light of the technologies we have coming forward — and I defer to [
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] that there’s still work to be done here — the thought process is we have a much more capable, much more lethal, much more projecting platform” on the way in the form of the Ford carriers.

The argument that the Truman is being killed in order to allow the Ford to live is one that Acting Defense Secretary
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made to the same Senate panel last month.

Shanahan argued that the January deal with contractor Huntington Ingalls
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first Ford-class carriers increases “the lethality” of the carrier fleet, while keeping shipyard employees at work, as opposed to allowing a gap between the first and second Ford ships. “In fact, with the decision, we grow employment in the industrial base,” Shanahan said. “We want to make sure that not only the shipyards maintain their employment, there’s actually growth [in the] supply chain. The last [point] is the funds that we freed up making these decisions are invested in the future force.”

Just the day before Shanahan spoke however, the Chief of Naval Operations,
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, told a group of reporters that the Truman retirement and the two-ship Ford buy are unrelated.

“I don’t think they are connected. The two-carrier buy is a statement about the aircraft carrier moving forward,” Richardson said. “The decision on Truman is really connected to balancing capabilities between 25 years of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier against the requirements, which are being studied. Also, this idea that we want to make sure we’re not missing opportunities to exploit technology. I don’t see them as being tightly coupled.”

That argument appears to have been overruled by the Shanahan/Spencer line that since the Ford carriers are better, the Navy needs money, so the Truman has to go early.

The Navy has assessed that by cancelling the mid-life overhaul on the Truman, it will save $3.4 billion over the five-year defense plan, while the two-carrier buy will save $4 billion.

But issues remain. Last month, Navy officials told the House Armed Services Committee that the Ford will suffer another delay in its delivery, and won’t be ready until October, instead of July as initially planned.

The delay will allow for more fixes to the Ford’s nuclear propulsion system and Advanced Weapons Elevators, Navy acquisition chief
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said: “October right now is our best estimate. The fleet has been notified of that. They’re working that into their train-up cycle afterward.” The
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was put into action in December.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
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ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 9, 2019) Sailors observe flight operations from vulture's row aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Ike is underway conducting flight deck certification during the basic phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zach Sleeper)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 9, 2019) An E2-C Hawkeye assigned to the "Screwtops" of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123
prepares to take off on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication
Specialist 3rd Class Kaleb Sarten)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 9, 2019) An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the "Gunslingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 approaches on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zach Sleeper)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 9, 2019) An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the "Gunslingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69).(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zach Sleeper)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 9, 2019) An E-2C Hawkeye assigned to the "Screwtops" of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123 lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zach Sleeper)
 
Yesterday at 7:35 AM
pretty interesting
Carrier Conundrums
part of
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:
related is
SECNAV defends plans to mothball aircraft carrier Truman
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Navy Secretary
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defended Wednesday a plan to retire the aircraft carrier
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early.

It’s a move officials say could save the sea service $30 billion over 25 years but it’s sparked bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill.

Spencer’s comments regarding plans to cancel the mid-life refueling for the Nimitz-class carrier scheduled for 2024 came during a
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on the Navy’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2020.

Focusing on buying two Ford-class carriers and forgoing Truman’s refueling would allow the Navy to focus on next-generation capabilities, Spencer said.

Ford-class carriers will enjoy a higher sortie launch rate, require fewer sailors and be easier to maintain, Spencer told lawmakers.

He pointed to the oil, trucking and aviation industries, where old equipment routinely gets ditched for new gear.

“When, in fact, a new platform is presented to anyone who’s modernizing … people abandon assets to make the case to move toward more effective, more efficient, and in our case, more lethal platforms,” Spencer said.

He acknowledged the hesitance that lawmakers in the House and Senate have with junking Truman.

“Walking away from 25 years, abandoning an asset, is not an easy decision,” Spencer said.

“But as far as the modernization argument, we believe it was a way to put the statement forward that we can take those monies and invest in Force 2.0,” he added.

Rep.
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, the ranking member of the committee, expressed skepticism about Truman’s early retirement.

“Prevailing opinion on the committee is to refuel the carrier,” the Texas Republican told Spencer and
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.

The Navy’s top officer told Thornberry that the sea service continues to study the Nimitz class of carriers, weighing it against the next generation flattops, and said investments would be adjusted if lawmakers restored funding for the carrier’s overhaul.

Retiring the Truman early has sparked concern across Capitol Hill.

Oklahoma Republican
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, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in March that he was “disturbed by the idea that we will be taking Truman out of the system,” and raised concerns about carrier numbers,
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.

The Navy is working to complete a new force structure assessment, or FSA, which is used to examine fleet composition and its future needs.

According to the Navy’s most recent shipbuilding plan, decommissioning the Truman early could cut the number of carriers to nine by 2046, three less than the current 12-carrier requirement, Defense News reported.

Rep. Joe Courtney, chairman of the House’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, told
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that there was “zero” chance that his committee would authorize the Truman plan this year.

“The Truman is only about 25 years old, which (in terms of) an aircraft carrier is actually pretty young,” the Connecticut Democrat told Defense news.

“We just approved a two-carrier block buy in September. So, to do that and then reduce the size of the carrier fleet seems like a contradictory policy.”

During a discussion about posture and presence worldwide and the size of the fleet, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller told lawmakers that “there are about 10 capabilities that the Department of Defense has that are never met for the (combatant commanders).”

In other words, COCOMS regularly do not get all the assets they request.

“They’re unconstrained in their requests,” Neller said. “But naval forces, submarines, cruiser destroyers, carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, our (Marine Expeditionary Units), are always deficient.”

Rep.
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, a retired Navy commander and first-term Virginia Democrat, questioned why the Navy was phasing out so many vessels when the deterrence provided by a gray hull is more needed than ever, particularly in the Pacific.

“We’re planning to decommission six cruisers, no investment in a ship to shore connector, decommission an aircraft carrier halfway through its life cycle and decommission 11 minesweepers, yet we’re doing everything we can to meet (combatant commander requests)?” she asked.

“Yet we’re voluntarily reducing our capability in the number of ships we have in the next several years?’

Spencer said it all comes down to cost.

“It might not be economically worthwhile with the risk balance to keep those cruisers going versus where those dollars can be placed for more effective deterrence in some other asset,” he said.

Military leaders also discussed with lawmakers the effects of climate change on installations.

Spencer said the Navy has completed inventories concerning climate change at all bases.

“It’s not just rising water,” he said. “It’s drough. It’s fire. It’s any weather-induced impact.”

Officials are studying “diking around Norfolk for rising waters,” and assessing wildfire control efforts at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Spencer added.

As the Marines wait on supplemental disaster appropriations to fund $3.1 billion in repairs needed to fix Camp Lejeune in the wake of September’s
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, Neller warned that delaying repairs could threaten the training and retention of troops.

“We expect our folks when they forward deploy to operate in austere conditions,” Neller said.

“We don’t expect them to operate in that environment in their home station.”
"decommission 11 minesweepers" huh

have to go now, but I'm going to look at the numbers oh and please don't tell me about the LCSs game-changers
 
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