Britain’s Future CVF Carriers: the Queen Elizabeth Class
May 10, 2012 15:22 EDT
(click to view full)
Britain’s 1998 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) announced a big leap forward for the Royal Navy: plans to replace the current set of 3 Invincible Class 22,000t escort carriers with 2 larger, more capable Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) ships that could operate a more powerful force. These new carriers would be joint-service platforms, operating F-35B aircraft, plus helicopters and UAVs from all 3 services. Roles could include ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance), force projection and logistics support, close air support, anti-submarine/ anti-surface naval warfare, and land attack.
The scale of the CVF effort relative to Britain’s past experiences means that the program structure is rather complex. It has passed through several stages already, and is being run and conducted within an industrial alliance framework. There is also a parallel international framework, involving cooperation with France on its PA2 carrier as a derivative of the CVF design. This DID FOCUS article covers that structure and framework, ongoing developments, and the ships themselves as they move slowly through construction, and eventual fielding:
- The CVF Queen Elizabeth Class [updated]
- Program Team: The Aircraft Carrier Alliance
- The CVF Program: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
- Other CVF-Related Contracts and Events
- Additional Readings & Sources
- Appendix A: CVF Program Management
Subscribe now to DII and gain immediate access to the details as they develop with the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier, including:
- Comparative facts, 10 photos and diagrams including winning and not-winning designs
- Development of a possible joint acquisition agreement with France's PA2/CVF program, and key differences between the 2 variants.
- Program structure and procurement news for CVF contractors under the Aircraft Carrier Alliance structure, incl. BAE Systems, Thales Group, VT Group, KBR UK, FBM Babcock Marine, and others.
- Debates concerning Britain's accompanying F-35B Joint Strike Fighter purchase, and potential substitutions
- Insight into the UK's SMART acquisition steps to control costs over the project life, including: "Recognise that the best can be the enemy of the very good"
- Source materials and quick links for additional research
Our DII subscribers gain access to the full archive of DII coverage and project developments with Britain's CVF program through a network of links and powerful search features.
