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HMSQueen Elizabeth to sail for the first time


stevewinn

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HMS QE arriving in Gib. along with escort HMS Somerset

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5371097/HMS-Queen-Elizabeth-visits-Gibraltar.html

 

 

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Bit of a photo opportunity in Gib today.

  • HMS QE (carrier)
  • HMS Somerset (frigate)
  • HMS Albion (LPD)
  • RFA Wave Knight (FF Tanker)

https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/962234561810911232 https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/962234561810911232

 

 

 

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HMS Sutherland will make the news in the coming week or so when she sails through the South China Sea. after taking part in exercises with Australia & New Zealand.

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Edited by stevewinn
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  • 4 months later...

HMS QE conducts replenishment at sea with New RFA Tide class.

 

Chinook's in QE hanger.

 

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QE's lifts are designed and large enough to lift a chinook without the need to fold the rotors (tight fit)

RAF_Chinook_helicopter_HMS_Queen_Elizabe

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9 hours ago, stevewinn said:

HMS QE conducts replenishment at sea with New RFA Tide class.

 

Chinook's in QE hanger.

 

 

 

 

If Queen Elizabeth is QE I hope it isn't an omen that Prince of Wales is PoW. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I recommend anyone who is interested in the carriers and the F35 to watch a documentary called Battle of the X planes (available on Youtube).

The 1.5 hour documentary gives insight into the F35 and how the British requirements along with the US Marines influenced the major requirement of a STOVL aircraft.

Lots of criticism has been on the Navy requesting STOVL over Cats and Traps.  Before watching this documentary I was unaware that an aircraft that is designed for Cats and Traps has a lifespan of only a third of a STOVL aircraft due to stresses on the airframe.

Boeing teamed with McDonald Douglas  and Rolls Royce opted for an up rated Harrier  design with the movable jet nozzles.  I was not aware that the Harrier design was prone to hot air ingestion on landing causing 1 in 3 to crash land at some point during their operation.

The Lockheed Martin  teamed with BAE went for a revolutionary shaft driven lift fan.  It's performance was well beyond expectations production 14,000 pounds of thrust over an estimate of 9,000.  This allowed a fully laden F35 to lift vertically.  Another key factor was that Boeing abandoned air to air re-fuelling early on although their air frame had a vast fuel capacity.  The delta wing of the Boeing was also miscalculated and was too small for carrier operations and production of the carbon fibre wing that was to be mated to the fuselage was dogged with problems. It was taking 30 layers of material needing to be baked for 12 hours every 4 layers which often came out with defects.

Although a challenge to get the US Navy to accept a single engine fighter all pilots that have flown the aircraft are astonished at the 44,000 pounds of thrust it produces and the performance increase against 2 engines. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

F35 in action and reminding us of what the fabulous Harrier achieved with 50 year old British technology.   Now the UK is back with a 5th Generation STOVL Supersonic jet that works (with great upset to the critics)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1727218/Video-F35-jet-hover-Fairford-RIAT-airshow.html

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  • 3 weeks later...

Five more F35B's arrive in the UK; total of 9 here. 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

HMS Queen Elizabeth sails for the United States – here’s the plan

 

Just over a year since HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in Portsmouth for the first time, she will sail for her longest and most significant deployment yet. Known as Westlant 18, the primary purpose of the trip is for QE to conduct the first of class flying trials (FOCFT) with the F-35B Lightning II.

Itinerary

Before crossing the Atlantic, the ship will embark more helicopters and conduct a few days of additional rotary wing flying trials in UK waters. She will then head to the eastern seaboard of the US which is likely to take around 10 days, depending on weather and the flying programme. When close to the US, the Merlin Mk4s will fly off Royal Marines to conduct a small demonstration assault landing. This is not a full-scale test of QE in the assault role (HMS Prince of Wales will undertake the main development of amphibious capability) but is a preliminary trial of the ship’s ability to embark troops onto helicopters and launch them simultaneously. The Royal Marines will then participate in joint exercises ashore with their US Marine Corps counterparts.

 

 
 

 

Edited by stevewinn
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  • 3 weeks later...

HMS Queen Elizabeth as arrived in the USA.

https://twitter.com/HMSQnlz/status/1037397672842412032

 

 

 

 

Edited by stevewinn
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  • 4 weeks later...

Apparently the first F35B has landed and taken off from Lizzy. According to a photo on the net doing the rounds. No official word. 

https://airforcesmonthly.keypublishing.com/2018/09/28/first-f-35b-on-hms-queen-elizabeth/

p1731963_main.jpg

 

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It's indeed true. 

 

 

Edited by stevewinn
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Things have progressed so well, that just 2 days after the first landing/take off they've moved on to night trials. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Few days old, but nonetheless HMS QE arriving in the big apple. 

This ship is already proving to be a real asset. F35b trials going extremely well. Flight trials with weapons fitted, plus trials and landings from every helicopter in the US navy. Proving a great example of team work between the UK and US. (its rumoured when she deploys to the Asia Pacific region in 2021/22 she'll carry 12 Royal Navy F35B's and 12 USN F35B's. But no doubt about it HMS QE and her sister ship HMS Pow will be a excellent flagship for NATO. 

CAN'T wait to see a carrier group consisting of UK, USA, Canada, & Australia. 

In related news Canada selects the British type 26 frigate for its new future fleet. 

The class which is regarded as the best ASW in the world as now been chosen by navies of Great Britain, Australia and now Canada. Over 30 ship will be built. 

Also rumours the USA might re-look at the ship in their frigate programme. 

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/canada-chooses-bae-type-26-for-next-generation-warships

Looks like the Anglosphere is tooling up in preperation to go toe to toe with an adversary with large numbers of submarines. (Russia & China) (North Atlantic and Arctic, and Asia Pacific regions being the main theaters in mind) 

 

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  • 1 month later...

HMS QE returned home from successful trials off the East Coast of the USA.

During her trials she conducted 202 takeoffs, 187 vertical landings, One of the vertical landings was performed backwards,  15 sideways landings and 54 dummy bombs were dropped.

journey home.

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meanwhile sister ship and second in class HMS Prince of Wales.

 

 

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That's pretty magnificent stuff, Stevewinn. 

I'm just sad that we sold of HMS Ocean .. it would have complemented the two Carriers perfectly. 

Still, we've still got Bulwark and Albion I suppose :( 

Edited by RoofGardener
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14 minutes ago, RoofGardener said:

That's pretty magnificent stuff, Stevewinn. 

I'm just sad that we sold of HMS Ocean .. it would have complemented the two Carriers perfectly. 

Still, we've still got Bulwark and Albion I suppose :( 

In deed, but we must remember HMS Ocean wasnt built to military standards. She was ordered to fill in the capability gap, highlighted in our response to the balkans war. 

There should be at least a replacement for HMS Ocean. (in the future) but it does seem our carriers will act as a helicopter carriers and use lillypadding. Eg: fly from the carrier based far off shore either fly to traget and on way back refuel onboard the deck of say a type 45. The type 45 and new type 26 can take upto chinook size helicopters. As you say we also have the HMS Albion & Bulwark, along with the RFA's Bay class. RFA mounts Bay etc... 

The Spanish designed and built juan Carlos looks a good design. Australia bought two, Canberra Class. Trouble is was the mount of rectified work the Aussie had to carry out. The two cheap French mistral class built for Russia but sold to Egypt. Might have been a good option. But that would mean sailing in a French ship, and we haven't done that since the Nile. (1798)

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  • 8 months later...

Nice to see HMS Queen Elizabeth on her Way to the USA & Canada for Westlant 19. Accompanied by HMS Dragon, RFA Tideforce. later to be joined by a Type 23 and Astute Sub.

 

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Also sister Ship HMS Prince of Wales is set for sea trials this weekend.

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Also Today the contract as been signed for 5 New Type 31 Frigates. (to be built in Scotland. Govt promised 13 ships,  they'll now build 18 between 2020. 2035.

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HMS Queen Elizabeth. Type 45 Destroyer, Type 23 Frigate. RFA Tideforce support ship. off the East coast of the USA.

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Edited by stevewinn
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