Aircraft carrier HMS " Queen Elizabeth"(R08) is the lead in a series of two Queen Elizabeth class ships being built for the Royal Navy. December 7, 2017 at the Royal Naval Base navy(KVMF) a ceremony was held in Portsmouth to include the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth into the British fleet. The British naval ensign was raised on the aircraft carrier.
The ceremony was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, who expressed confidence that the aircraft carrier would be a testament to British power at sea for decades to come, as well as Princess Anne. According to Gavin Williamson, UK Defense Secretary, “the new aircraft carrier embodies the British design and capability that underpins efforts to build a future-ready force.” It should be noted that the ship was commissioned into the KVMF after the completion of the second stage of sea trials, which were carried out off the coast of Southern England since September 2017.
The second aircraft carrier in the series, HMS Prince of Wales (R09), is also close to delivery. On September 8, 2017, at the Babcock Marine shipbuilding plant located in Rosyth (Scotland), an official christening ceremony was held for the British aircraft carrier Prince of Wales, which is being built there in a dry dock. The ceremony was attended by the current Prince of Wales, Charles, and his wife, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, acted as the “godmother” of the new warship, breaking a bottle of 10-year-old Laphroaig whiskey on the hull of the aircraft carrier.
Contrary to popular misconception, the new British aircraft carrier received its name not in honor of the currently reigning Queen Elizabeth II, but in honor of her distant predecessor - Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland, who reigned in 1558-1603 - the last of the Tudor dynasty. It was during her reign that England became a leading sea power, and therefore to the world. The British themselves call the era of Elizabeth I the “golden age.” Not only because she successfully fought against external and internal enemies, but also because art and science flourished during her reign. This was the time of Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Francis Bacon. Therefore, the name Queen Elizabeth was given to the most modern British aircraft carrier quite deservedly.
Today, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) is the largest ship in the Royal Navy's history and the largest warship ever built in the country, with a total displacement of 70,600 tons. This aircraft carrier, like its sistership Prince of Wales under construction, is three times larger than its predecessors - the British Invincible-class aircraft carriers and is comparable in size to the American aircraft carrier Nimitz or the French Charles de Gaulle.
The aircraft carriers cost Great Britain a pretty penny; if in 2007 the construction of two warships was estimated at 3.9 billion pounds, then after the next revision of the contract in 2013 it was already 6.2 billion pounds (about 8.3 billion US dollars). At the same time, after the commissioning of the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales, it is possible that it will become the largest warship of the Russian Navy in the entire history, since due to some changes and improvements made to the project, its total displacement may exceed the displacement of the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth by 3000 tons . Commissioning of the Prince of Wales is scheduled for 2019.
History of the construction of the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth
The idea of replenishing the Russian Navy with large aircraft carriers arose in Great Britain at the turn of the 21st century. At the beginning of 2003, the country's Ministry of Defense decided on the contractor for the construction of promising warships - BAE Systems Corporation. The preliminary design was carried out by the British branch of the French company Thales. This project already demonstrated the difference between future ships and existing aircraft carriers - the presence of not one, but two “islands” in the superstructure. The bow superstructure houses the ship control services, and the aft superstructure houses the flight control services for aircraft and helicopters.
Aircraft carrier "Queen Elizabeth" in dock
For the first time, the order for the construction of two aircraft carriers was announced by Des Brown, who at that time held the post of the country's Minister of Defense, on July 25, 2017. The Queen Elizabeth class warships were designed to replace the light British Invincible class aircraft carriers (three ships between 1980 and 2014). of this class served as part of the KVMF). The contract for the construction of new aircraft carriers was concluded on July 3, 2008 with the specially created European consortium Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA).
The construction of the lead aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth was carried out from 2009 to 2017 by the ACA consortium at the Babcock Marine shipyard (the former Rosyth Dockyard, which was privatized in 1997), located in the Scottish city of Rosyth. The Aircraft Carrier Alliance included the British branch of the French company Thales Group (designer) and the British companies BAE Systems Surface Ships, A&P Group and Cammell Laird. It was the British members of the consortium who were responsible for the production of large-block hull sections, from which the aircraft carrier, which was in a dry construction dock, was subsequently assembled.
The process of creating a new aircraft carrier was divided into the construction of individual blocks weighing up to 11 thousand tons, which were assembled at various shipyards in Great Britain. Subsequently, the assembled blocks were delivered to Rosyth, Scotland, where they were assembled into a single whole. On July 4, 2014, the christening ceremony of the new ship took place. Queen Elizabeth II took part in it and acted as the “godmother” of the new British aircraft carrier. At a signal from the Queen of Great Britain, a bottle of Bowmore Scotch whiskey was smashed against the side of the ship.
Aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth
For the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy and BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales UK, hosting direct participation In the creation of the ship, the launching of the first aircraft carrier of the series marked the completion of a significant stage of work. Previously, the British government had already delayed the development of the program for two years, which ultimately only led to its rise in cost. They even tried to cancel the aircraft carrier construction program altogether; the issue of selling them to third countries was considered; the decision on the question of which models of the F-35 aircraft would be based on aircraft carriers was changed twice. All this delayed the process of building the first ship.
On July 17, 2014, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) was removed from dry dock and launched. On June 26, 2017, the ship went to sea for the first time for sea trials. On August 16, 2017, the aircraft carrier arrived at its permanent home base - the main naval base of the KVMF Portsmouth. Already in July, tests began with the participation of helicopters, the second stage of these tests was scheduled for December 2017. The first tests of F-35B carrier-based aircraft from an aircraft carrier are scheduled to begin at the end of 2018, they will take place off the US coast. The Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and its air group are expected to reach initial combat readiness in 2021, and full combat readiness no earlier than 2023.
Design features of the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth
The mechanical design of the modern British aircraft carrier was fully automated. Means computer modeling were specially created by QinetiQ specialists. The design of the ship's hull was carried out based on the required 50-year service life. A special feature of the hull of the new aircraft carrier is the presence of a ski-jump, used for aircraft with short take-off and landing.
The presence of a springboard and the absence of accelerating catapults makes the ship similar to the only Russian heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser. The hull of the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth has 9 decks, not counting the flight deck. The ship's flight deck ensures simultaneous takeoff and landing of aircraft; the springboard located in the front part has an elevation angle of 13°.
Aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth
Unlike the vast majority of traditional aircraft carriers, the Queen Elizabeth received two small superstructures. In the front are the premises of the ship's control services, and in the rear are the flight control services of the aircraft carrier's air group. The advantage of this ship architecture is an increase in deck area, a more flexible distribution of space on the lower decks and a reduction in turbulent air flows that can interfere with flights. The location of the services responsible for managing the flights of the air group in the rear part of the deck seems preferable, as it allows for better control of such critical phases of the flight as the approach and the landing itself on board the aircraft carrier.
Like any other modern aircraft carrier, the British Queen Elizabeth is a real floating city, which even has its own cinema and large gym on board. There are also 4 large dining areas on board, staffed by 67 workers. catering. They are able to serve up to 960 people in one hour. There is also a hospital on board, designed for 8 beds (up to 8 bedridden serious patients), its own operating room and dental room, served by 11 medical workers. The ship's 470 cabins can accommodate 1,600 people (according to the number of beds), including 250 Marines.
The ship's power plant is integrated into an integrated electric propulsion system (Integrated Electric Propulsion - IEP). It includes two powerful Rolls-Royce Marine MT30 gas turbines with a power of 36 MW each (the same gas turbines are installed on the latest American destroyers type Zumwalt) and four Finnish-made Wartsila 38 diesel generators with a total capacity of 40 MW. The engines operate on generators that supply electricity to the general low-voltage network of the aircraft carrier and power, among other things, electric motors that rotate two propeller shafts with fixed-pitch propellers. The power plant accelerates the ship with a total displacement of 70,600 tons to a speed of 26 knots (about 48 km/h).
Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter-bomber
The ship is literally packed modern equipment and has high level automation of almost all processes, thanks to which its crew consists of only 679 people. At the same time, one of the ship’s strengths, of course, includes its automated system combat control, which is integrated with the radar long range, which allows you to simultaneously track up to one thousand air targets at a distance of 250 nautical miles(about 460 km). In addition, the ship houses a special center for the commander of an aircraft carrier strike group (ACG).
Another feature of the ship is that it is the first aircraft carrier that was originally designed to use 5th generation aircraft. The core of the Queen air group will be American fighter-bombers Lockheed Martin F-35B (vertical/short take-off/landing). The standard composition of the aircraft carrier's air group in the "oceanic" version will consist of 24 F-35B fighters, 9 Merlin anti-submarine helicopters and 4 or 5 Merlin helicopters in the AWACS version. In addition, the aircraft carrier will be able to accommodate helicopters on board. army aviation– AH-64 Apache, AW159 Wildcat and even CH-47 Chinook of various modifications. This is important, since the UK Ministry of Defense also considers the ship as a means of carrying out joint inter-service and coastal operations. The aircraft carrier initially has space for 250 Marines, but if necessary, the number of Marines can be increased to 900 people.
In its standard state, an aircraft carrier's air group will include up to 40 aircraft, however, as the British military notes, if necessary, the ship will be able to take on board up to 70 aircraft. The hangar deck of the aircraft carrier, with an area of 155 by 33.5 meters and a height of 6.7 to 10 meters, can accommodate up to 20 aircraft. They are lifted up to the flight deck using two powerful elevators, each of which is capable of simultaneously lifting two F-35B fighter-bombers onto the flight deck in 60 seconds. The elevators are so powerful that together they can lift the entire crew of the ship, note BAE Systems.
Merlin Mk2 AWACS helicopter with Crowsnest system
The Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is designed for 420 sorties over 5 days with the ability to conduct operations at night. The maximum intensity of flights is 110 within 24 hours. The maximum intensity of aircraft takeoff is 24 in 15 minutes, landing – 24 aircraft in 24 minutes. There are no aerofinishers or accelerating catapults on board; without modification, the ship can only accept short/vertical takeoff/landing aircraft.
The weakest element of the “Queen” can be called defensive weapons, which are represented only by various artillery installations. In particular, three 20-mm six-barrel rapid-firing Phalanx CIWS close-in defense artillery mounts. This ship-based anti-aircraft artillery system is designed to combat anti-ship missiles with subsonic and supersonic speed flight (up to 2 speeds of sound), for its characteristic appearance it received the nickname R2-D2 in the American Navy. In addition to this complex, there are 4 modern 30-mm DS30M Mk2 assault rifles and a number of machine guns on board, designed to protect against asymmetric threats - terrorists and pirates on small boats.
For weak defensive weapons and large sizes The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth has already been called a convenient target for Russian anti-ship missiles. This is exactly what the Russian Ministry of Defense said in response to the words of British Defense Minister Michael Fallon that “the Russians will look at the aircraft carrier with envy.”
Defensive armament is indeed the weakest point of the new British ship. On the other hand, it is built within a completely different application concept. Unlike the only aircraft carrier in the Russian fleet, which carries large number various weapons, up to anti-ship missiles and capable of operating autonomously, the British “Queen” is designed for use as part of an AUG, when it will be reliably covered by numerous escort ships and submarines.
Anti-aircraft artillery complex Phalanx CIWS
Experts from the British analytical center Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) also say that the largest ship in the British fleet is vulnerable to anti-ship missiles. According to them, an anti-ship missile costing less than half a million pounds could at least disable a British aircraft carrier worth more than three billion pounds. “And a salvo of 10 such missiles would cost the Russian budget less than £4 million, similar goals It’s much easier to destroy them by concentrating fire on them than to develop something of the same level to fight on equal terms,” the report of RUSI experts emphasizes.
Performance characteristics of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08):
Displacement - 70,600 tons (full).
Length – 280 m.
Width – 73 m.
Height – 56 m.
Draft – 11 m.
Engines: two Rolls-Royce Marine MT30 gas turbines with a capacity of 36 MW each and four Wartsila diesel generator sets with a total capacity of about 40 MW.
Maximum speed is up to 26 knots (48 km/h).
Cruising range is up to 10,000 nautical miles (about 19,000 km).
Navigation autonomy – 290 days.
The aircraft carrier's crew is 679 people.
Marines - 250 people.
Total capacity – 1600 people (together with air group personnel, according to the number of beds).
Air group: up to 40 fighters and helicopters: including up to 24 5th generation Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter-bombers, up to 9 AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2 anti-submarine helicopters and 4-5 Merlin helicopters in the AWACS version. If necessary, it can take on board up to 70 aircraft.
Defensive weapons: 3 Phalanx CIWS anti-aircraft artillery mounts, 4x30mm 30mm DS30M Mark 2 artillery mounts and machine guns to counter asymmetric threats.
With great fanfare, the British were preparing to launch their first aircraft carrier, but the whole history of this ship is a continuous series of absurdities.
Today it is not customary to remember that during World War II, shortly before the disaster at Pearl Harbor, American intelligence managed to crack a Japanese diplomatic code. The decryption materials made it possible to learn about the enemy’s plans to launch a surprise attack on the naval base. But political interests turned out to be higher than military expediency - and Pacific Fleet The United States was actually exposed to Japanese bombers. Four went to the bottom battleships, four more were badly damaged. However, the Americans still hastened to take some of the ships out to the open sea. These were aircraft carriers. From this day on, the era of huge artillery ships - battleships - came to an end, and the era of aircraft carriers began.
I sit high and look far away!
They did not appear on the eve of World War II, much earlier, but the tactics sea battle and the strategy of the struggle for sea supremacy was radically changed after the war. The time when squadrons converged on firing range and began to smash each other with main-caliber guns is a thing of the past. From the time the ballista gave way on the deck to the still cumbersome and weak cannon, the evolution of artillery truly went by leaps and bounds. Now it was no longer necessary to converge side by side; now in battle, even on the horizon, the silhouettes of the ships on which fire was fired were not always distinguishable.
Spotter aircraft turned out to be very useful in these conditions. At first these were seaplanes, but launching and landing on the water, especially in rough weather, as well as getting on and off the plane was a troublesome task. It was then that the idea of launching planes directly from the deck appeared. After all, each of them could deliver a projectile (bomb) much further and much more accurately than the main caliber of any, even the most powerful, battleship!
The United States became the leader in the construction and use of these ships. Of course, the aircraft carrier itself, essentially a huge floating airport, is very vulnerable. It needed and needs reliable protection and operates in close cooperation with support ships. This vital necessity has become one of the postulates of modern naval war. The basis of the squadron was the so-called AUG (autonomous strike groups). This is not just a collection of ships of different ranks, but a well-thought-out echelon system, the center of which is an aircraft carrier and nuclear submarines. Such an AUG can control vast areas of the world's oceans. It would seem that this is it, sea dominion!
Expensive and angry
But the comedy of the situation is that over the quarter century of existence of such groups, their real contribution to the solution of combat missions in battles open sea remains negligibly small. Huge, unwieldy armadas simply symbolize the US military presence in the region - and nothing more. There are no opponents for the AUG on the open sea; when operating in ship-against-shore conditions, the aircraft carrier becomes vulnerable to attacks from ground-based aircraft, which are usually more powerful than deck-based aircraft. At the same time, each entry of an aircraft carrier and its support group into the sea is a colossal expense that brings rather modest results. And considering that the main military actions of our time are a war of economies and ideas, and not of personal valor, such demonstrative exits do more harm to the owners of the AUG than they allow them to solve any strategic and operational problems. The main striking force of the fleets of a potential enemy and a respected partner is in fact becoming nuclear submarines with cruise ballistic missiles on board. For example, the USA already has 72 of them.
But Great Britain still decided to keep up with the sailing ship of history and acquire its own aircraft carrier giants. On December 7, 2017, the first of them, proudly named “Queen Elizabeth,” was launched. Of course, this did not mean the current grandmother of the British monarchy, but the queen, who harshly declared after the defeat of the Spanish Great Armada: “Britain, rule the seas!”
Alas, it will be difficult to rule the seas with the help of this aircraft carrier. Although the Queen is the largest ship in the history of the British Navy, it is still almost half the size of its American counterparts in the Nimitz class. And its strike weapons - from 12 to 35 F-35C aircraft with a short take-off vertical landing and 14 helicopters for various purposes - are not particularly impressive if you evaluate the cost of the sea giant. In addition, there is one catch - the planes have not yet been purchased and, moreover, have not been brought to perfection. As tests in 2015 showed, the design of the aircraft has fundamental flaws and needs serious improvement. However, the full commissioning of the ship and its inclusion in the fleet lists is expected as early as 2020. Aircraft weapons will only be delivered in 2023. By that time, these aircraft will either be put into production or completely rejected.
Moreover, these aircraft will be flown not only by British, but also by American pilots who know better the aircraft produced in their own country. Trusting just anyone with an aircraft worth over $150 million (not counting weapons) is extremely imprudent. So the English crown threw away huge ships by British standards and astronomical sums by any standards in order to provide the American fleet with a “gift” of dubious value. But that’s not all - the second aircraft carrier, the Prince of Wales, is already under active construction, so over time the Pentagon may have another “pride of the British fleet.”
Will the Russians be jealous?
However, this does not prevent the British Defense Minister Michael Fallon compare the brand new “Queen Elizabeth” with the “dilapidated” “Admiral Kuznetsov” and declare that our sailors will certainly envy such “written bags”. It is somewhat strange to hear such a statement from a serious (judging by the suit) person appointed to deal with military and naval affairs. But it seems that the Minister of Defense there is not able to distinguish a crucian from a pig, that is, a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, equipped, in addition to aviation, with powerful missile weapons and designed to solve independent tasks, from a global aircraft moving in a whole herd of escort ships. And considering that in any conflict, clumsy aircraft carriers will become the first targets for missiles and aircraft, there is definitely nothing to envy here.
It’s good that the real Queen Elizabeth “Mistress of the Seas” did not live to see this expensive circus - otherwise many of today’s “political figures” would have lost their heads on the lawn in front of the Tower. However, keeping in mind the traditions of the British fleet and the connection between the name of the ship and its fate, one can predict a difficult future for the aircraft carrier - the queen was particularly vindictive and vindictive. And, of course, I didn’t imagine myself as a monkey pulling chestnuts out of the fire for an overseas owner.
P.S. The commissioning of the Queen Elizabeth has been postponed - the formidable aircraft carrier developed a leak right in the port...
During the next trip to sea, the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, which became the flagship of the British navy in early December, found a leak in the seal of one of the mechanisms. “The shaft seal problem was identified during Queen Elizabeth's sea trials. Its removal is planned during a stopover in Portsmouth,” the British edition of The Guardian quotes a representative of the British Navy.
According to these data, the breakdown will not make changes to the test schedule.
The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth went to sea for the first time on June 26, 2017. Over the next few years, the ship had to undergo a series of tests. In particular, tests of deck helicopters are planned on the ship in 2018. Then in the fall next year, Queen Elizabeth was supposed to make the transition to the east coast of the United States, where it would begin testing with the F-35B carrier-based short take-off and vertical landing fighters, which will be part of the ship’s carrier-based air wing.
“Most likely, this is a poor-quality assembly of the shaft line,” Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the General Staff of the USSR Navy, told Gazeta.Ru. — If you couldn’t keep it afloat, then the ship needs to be docked. There, such a malfunction is eliminated in two to three days. Unless, of course, there are more serious reasons.”
On December 7, 2017, a ceremony was held in the British Portsmouth to induct the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Navy. Queen Elizabeth II took part in the ceremony. In her speech, she expressed confidence that the ship would be a testament to British power at sea for the coming decades.
The aircraft carrier is named after Queen Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603). However, she is not a relative of the current British Queen Elizabeth II. With the death of Elizabeth I, whose reign marked the “golden age” of the English Middle Ages, the royal dynasty Tudor. Today in Great Britain the Windsors reign, but do not rule, who received the throne only at the beginning of the 20th century.
Photo report: Queen Elizabeth and "Queen Elizabeth"
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On July 4, 2014, the ship's christening ceremony took place. Elizabeth II, who was present, acted as the “godmother” of the aircraft carrier. At a signal from the Queen of Great Britain, a bottle of Bowmore Scotch whiskey was broken on the side of the ship. The first commander was Commodore Jerry Kidd, who had previously commanded the light aircraft carriers R07 Ark Royal and R06 Illustrious.
According to UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson, “the new aircraft carrier embodies the British design and capability that underpins our efforts to build a future-ready force.”
HMS R08 Queen Elizabeth is the lead ship in a series of two aircraft carriers for the British Navy. It is the largest Royal Navy ship in the fleet's history and the largest warship ever built in the UK. The displacement of the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth is 65 thousand tons. The length of the ship is 282.9 m, width - 75 m and draft - 9.9 m. Its construction cost the British treasury 3.1 billion pounds sterling ($4.1 billion).
Queen Elizabeth will be home to an aviation group of about 40 aircraft, including 24 fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, as well as 14 Merlin helicopters. The aircraft carrier's crew will be 773 people, the number of air group will be 853 people, command staff- 95 people.
“In order to draw comprehensive conclusions about the nature of the breakdown, there is still very little information about the detected malfunction,” a high-ranking representative of the Russian company explained to Gazeta.Ru. shipbuilding industry on condition of anonymity, - if a leak is detected, then the reasons are below the waterline. First, you need to understand what led to this and who is to blame - the sealing module, the bearing block, the coupling. After all, outside the ship’s hull there is a relatively small part of the shaft and screws.”
According to Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor, eliminating faults whose causes are below the waterline requires docking the ship.
If the leak is small, then, most likely, the expert believes, the British will complete the planned test program at sea, and then put the aircraft carrier into dry dock to determine the causes of the leak and eliminate the malfunction. If the leak is significant, then it is necessary, in his opinion, to interrupt the tests and begin docking without delay.
“First, we need to figure out whether this is a manufacturing defect or a design flaw,” says the ex-head of the Main Department operational management Rear Admiral Arkady Syroezhko of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
According to Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor, most likely the so-called stern tube seal is to blame. A small leak in the shaft lines is not the worst situation on a ship, the admiral believes. There are pumps there, they constantly pump out water if the leak is insignificant. It’s another matter if the entire aft compartment is flooded and this is a design flaw. Then you need to return the ship to the manufacturer. And such repairs can take a long time, Arkady Syroezhko is sure.
Queen Elizabeth was built between 2009 and 2017 by the ACA consortium at the Babcock Marine shipyard in Rosyth, Scotland. ACA includes the French consortium Thales Group, which acted as the designer, as well as the British BAE Systems Surface Ships, A&P Group and Cammell Laird. The British members of the consortium were also responsible for the manufacture of large-block hull sections from which the ship was assembled in a dry construction dock.
The construction process of the aircraft carrier was divided into the construction of individual blocks weighing up to 11 thousand tons, which were assembled at various British shipyards. They were then transported to Rosyth, Scotland, and assembled into a single unit.
After the Queen Elizabeth was removed from the construction dock, the assembly of the second ship of this class, the R09 Prince of Wales, began. The christening ceremony took place on September 8, 2017, and the aircraft carrier's commissioning is scheduled for 2019.
The opposing Russian and British militaries are so far limiting themselves to a verbal duel. The Russian Ministry of Defense responded to the statement of the British Minister of Defense Michael Fallon about the superiority of the new aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth over our aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov.
According to the official representative of the Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov, The British minister is not distinguished by his knowledge of military science. He called Fallon's statement "exalted" and explained that the British ship is, in fact, an "aircraft" capable only of "releasing airplanes from its belly" and requiring military escort.
“Unlike the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, equipped with anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and, most importantly, anti-ship missile weapons Granit, the British aircraft carrier is just a convenient large-sized sea target,” Konashenkov stated.
The ironic assessment came in response to Fallon’s attacks in an interview with The Telegraf. The minister suggested that the Russians would look with envy at the new British aircraft carrier. He promised to protect the new flagship with frigates and destroyers, and to use helicopters to search for Russian submarines.
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Let us recall that the recent campaign of the Russian naval strike group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov across the English Channel to the shores of Syria caused a painful reaction in the UK. At the suggestion of the same Fallon, NATO member countries refused Russian ships in refueling at ports. Having political ambitions, the minister directly declares his commitment to the course of Churchill and Thatcher on the issue of confrontation with Russia.
The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, like its sister ship Prince of Wales under construction, is three times larger than its Invisible-class predecessors and comparable to the American Nimitz and the French Charles de Gaulle. The UK Ministry of Defense has already ordered 138 F-35 aircraft for them. The British treasury spent 3.5 billion pounds sterling on the construction of one ship.
Among the potential weaknesses of the aircraft carrier, the British The Telegraph named the outdated software. It was noted that on the computers in the control room of the ship there was installed operating system Windows XP, which Microsoft has now discontinued support for. It was this OS that turned out to be the most vulnerable during the Wannacry virus attack.
According to Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, the Soviet military leadership’s refusal to build aircraft carriers that require security in favor of aircraft-carrying cruisers equipped with all types of weapons is justified in modern conditions. Modern types of weapons make it possible to effectively threaten enemy carrier strike groups.
At the same time Corresponding Member of RARAN, Captain 1st Rank Reserve Konstantin Sivkov warns the Russian military against mischievous sentiments, but at the same time notes that the Russian Navy has ways to neutralize the British ship.
— The new British aircraft carrier should not be underestimated. This enemy is quite serious. In general, it is intended for other purposes, and not to fight our surface forces. In the NATO system, this ship will be used to solve air defense and anti-aircraft defense missions. Namely: for operational cover of air and anti-submarine defense of the main strike forces of the US 2nd Fleet in the Norwegian Sea. These are 401−1 and 401−2 carrier strike groups (AUG). The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth will be deployed to the northern part of the Norwegian Sea. That's what it was created for.
This ship is replacing aircraft carriers of the Illustrious and Invisible class, which have already been cut up and written off. The new aircraft carrier will not have catapults. It will accommodate about 40 F-35 short takeoff and landing aircraft, but the ship is not yet equipped with them. In addition, there will be about 20 helicopters. Thus, the British aircraft carrier will be comparable in its operational capabilities to our Kuznetsov. The only thing is that Kuznetsov has a larger range of action for carrier-based aircraft: for the Su-33 it is 1.3 thousand kilometers, for the MiG-29 it is about 1 thousand, and for the British it is about 0.8 thousand kilometers.
“SP”: — What is the security of the aircraft carrier “Queen Elizabeth”?
“It will be escorted by Daring Type 45 destroyers, which have powerful air defense. They can solve the problem of providing cover from a missile strike. Anyway, for a breakthrough air defense two or three such destroyers and the aircraft carrier itself will have to organize a salvo no less powerful than against American aircraft carriers. If you use the Granit missiles that Konashenkov mentioned, then you need a salvo of at least 40 missiles. Then they will break through the defense. But organizing such a salvo is not so easy.
For example, on project 1144 ( cruiser« Peter the Great" - author.) there are only 20 of them. If you organize a strike with surface ships and submarines, then the question is how to do this at the same time. After all, launches must be carried out simultaneously, with an interval of up to one minute. This is a very difficult task.
Another way is to use naval missile aircraft. They can. In the two-missile version, the regiment can strike with 36-40 K-22 missiles. That is, you will have to use a combined option.
"SP": - But from 2018, new Zircon anti-ship missiles will enter service. There the speed is up to 7 Mach, while the Sea Ceptor systems equipped with British escort frigates are capable of intercepting targets at a speed of 3.5 Mach...
- “Zircon” - yes... But the question here is the combat range. The exact range of this missile is unknown. If it is 800 kilometers, as predicted, then there are no questions about hitting targets. But if it’s 300-400 kilometers, then the Zircon won’t help much, since our ship must come within salvo range. But it will be difficult to do. After all, the British will attack us with his strike aircraft, and American AUGs will help him in this. And besides, if we spot him, he can simply retreat, bringing our ship under attack from the allies. He's not a fool.
— “Zircon” is a unique weapon for fighting aircraft carriers. If the Russian Navy can ensure its use, then there will be no problems,” continues military expert Dmitry Kornev - But it is necessary to provide reconnaissance and target designation. At the moment, there are no such weapons at a range at which our ships could use them without the risk of being destroyed within 15 minutes. There are shipborne assets, but their range of action is such that to do this it is necessary to enter the enemy’s AUG defense zone. And there the lifespan of a submarine or ship is short.
The long-range defense zone of the AUG is about 800 kilometers, denser - 400-500 kilometers. If the Zircon has a range of approximately 500 kilometers, and there is no accurate data on this yet, we have problems hitting targets. Information about the 800-kilometer destruction range is unconvincing, since the dimensions of the missile are known. Considering the speed and fuel consumption, this is an unrealistic range. Therefore, we need full-fledged space and air assets target designation. If they exist, it is quite possible to sink a target such as the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth with two or three Zircon missiles. It is impossible to shoot down these missiles.
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“SP”: — Is it correct to compare the Russian and British fleets, or even more so individual ships?
— We must remember that the British fleet operates as part of NATO. If he is involved in hostilities, then we are dealing with the entire NATO fleet. Moreover, their interaction with each other has been worked out - exercises take place constantly. The NATO fleet can be considered as a single fleet, and taking into account the power of the United States, it greatly exceeds our capabilities. We can resist them provided that we ensure the use of heterogeneous forces: basic aviation, air, space reconnaissance, ground missile systems. IN defensive operation We have chances, but offensively we don’t have any.
“SP”: — What do you think our fleet lacks?
— The Russian fleet must become a fleet. Even if we complete everything we are currently building, it will not be enough. We need a concept for fleet development. We need to understand why we are doing this. Now we are building a fleet at the request of industry, and not because we formulate certain tasks in the world's oceans.
The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth belongs to a new class of ships of the British Royal Navy. Defense Minister Des Brown announced contracts for the construction of vessels of this type in 2007. This event put an end to the uncertainty that had surrounded the project for a long time. The delay in making a decision was due to debates about the cost of new ships and the need to modernize British shipbuilding. A year later, the government signed a contract with BVT Surface Fleet, a company specially created for this purpose. The two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are designed to accommodate combat aircraft with a short take-off run and vertical landing. These are the most big ships in the history of the Royal Navy. It was decided to name the second ship in honor of the Prince of Wales. The cost of the project is estimated at approximately £6 billion.
Strategic Defense Concept
In 1997, the Labor government commissioned experts to examine all weapons systems in the service of the british army and the fleet. Experts in their report described in detail the advantages of aircraft carriers. Experts emphasized the possibility of conducting air operations abroad in the absence of bases for combat aircraft outside the country, as well as the terrifying effect that ships of this type produce on a potential enemy. According to experts, the next generation of aircraft carriers should have a displacement of about 30-40 thousand tons and be capable of carrying up to 50 fighters, bombers and helicopters. The text of the report repeatedly mentions the increasing role of air strikes in the conduct of combat operations in modern conditions.
Design studies
In 2002 it announced that Royal Air Force will be used combat aircraft F-35B, designed for short take-off and vertical landing. The British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, whose expected service life is 50 years, is equipped primarily to operate just such aircraft. Its design also allows the use of catapults and brake landing cables.
When the Ministry of Defense announced contracts for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, the project was valued at £4 billion. The global economic crisis that broke out in 2008 led to the decision to slow down the pace of ship construction and postpone the dates for their entry into service. The project budget was revised and increased to £6 billion.
Main Features
Team English aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth employs 679 people, excluding pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel. The length of the vessel is 280 m, height - deck width - 70 m. Radius combat action- 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 kilometers). The Department of Defense abandoned the idea of using a nuclear engine due to high costs. The energy source on the aircraft carrier Queen Elisabeth is gas turbines and diesel engines. These are the most powerful engines ever built for the Royal Navy.
The ship is equipped with two separate command centers. From one, the operations of the aviation group are coordinated, in the other, actions related to the navigation of the vessel are carried out. Separating command centers creates certain advantages. The presence of two coordination structures allows you to independently install and use different types radars: medium-range and designed for airspace surveillance. This improves visibility for both maritime navigation and aircraft landing. In addition, the design, which provides separate command centers, reduces air turbulence on the deck.
The hangar of the new aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth can accommodate up to 20 aircraft and helicopters. Two powerful elevators are used to lift aircraft to the upper deck, where the runways are located. Each of them is designed to transport two F-35 fighter jets within 60 seconds.
Firepower
The ship's only armament is the Phalanx anti-aircraft artillery system. It consists of a 6-barreled automatic cannon and control and target guidance systems. The complex is designed to combat anti-ship missiles and aircraft. To repel threats from the sea, the new pride of the British fleet, the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, is equipped with Minigun machine guns and 30 mm artillery mounts.
Systems
Ships use various types of radars. The manufacturer, BAE, claims that they are capable of simultaneously tracking up to a thousand air targets within a radius of 400 kilometers. Radars can detect objects no larger than billiard balls.
The ammunition supply system from the warehouse is fully automated. Cargo placed on pallets is delivered to the hangar and to the flight deck using elevators. All movements are controlled from a central point. People's participation is only required for final stage preparation of ammunition. There are no personnel in the warehouses.
Aviation group
The new ship is designed to host a maximum of 36 F-35 fighter jets and four helicopters. However, according to Commodore Jerry Kidd, the total number of aircraft, if necessary, can reach 70 units. The concept of strategic defense involves deployment on an aircraft carrier in peacetime 12 regular aircraft (F-35 fighters).
Currently, the ship has prepared landing points for six medium-sized helicopters capable of lifting a landing force of 250 people into the air. First of all, it is planned to use the Merlin MH2 multi-purpose helicopter, armed with missiles, torpedoes, depth charges, automatic cannons and heavy machine guns.
Early Warning System
Detectability submarines enemy is critical. Existing system early warning Sea King ASaC7 is considered obsolete and must be replaced at the end of 2018. This plan is an integral part of the project to create a new generation of aircraft carriers. Some experts believe current system early warning is the main drawback of the Queen Elizabeth class ships.
