But the Type 31s are fitted “for but not with” the launch system-meaning they have space and power for the Mark 41, but not the cells themselves. The eight Type 26s, the first of which are under construction, come with Mark 41 cells. There’s no realistic chance of the Type 45s and Type 23s getting a land-attack missile, as they lack the Mark 41 vertical-launch system that fires the Tomahawk. “None of the Royal Navy’s surface vessels have a missile that can attack targets on land,” the committee explained. The only vessels with a land-attack capability are the six attack submarines with their Tomahawk cruise missiles. The fleet’s land-attack capability is in even more dire condition. A new hypersonic missile “would not be available until the early 2030s,” according to the committee. That’s because the navy has paused a $333 million, “interim” anti-ship missile acquisition as it evaluates whether instead to focus on developing new hypersonic weapons in cooperation other countries. Depending on the type of weapon the fleet settles on, there could be a gap, the committee lamented.
The Harpoons expire in 2023, at which point the navy will need a new anti-ship missile for existing ships as well as for the new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates it’s acquiring. The Type 23s and three of the Type 45s sail with old Harpoon anti-ship missiles that the fleet brought out of storage for a few more years of service. They can defend themselves against attack, but they struggle to fight back. The Type 45s and Type 23s boast modern air-defense systems. The fleet’s surface combatants-six Type 45 destroyers and 12 Type 23 frigates-partially lack anti-ship missiles and entirely lack land-attack ones. “The department must provide clarity on how it intends to operate the F-35 fleet before then.”Īircraft-less aircraft carriers aren’t the Royal Navy’s only problem.
But that’s “too long to wait to know the size of the planned F-35 fleet and how it could be used,” the committee warned. The ministry has promised to clarify its F-35 plan by 2025. defense ministry for years has declined to commit to a larger F-35 purchase, despite 48 planes clearly being inadequate in every serious analysis.
The crash reduced the RAF and Royal Navy’s combined F-35 fleet to 20 planes, of 48 on order.
The authors clearly were spooked when, in the final days of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s deployment this year, one of the vessel’s British F-35s crashed on takeoff. “We believe the actual number required to be higher, as it must allow for a greater attrition rate than is probably expected.” The committee considers the Lockheed estimate too low. Forty-eight planes at sea, with the balance for training or the maintenance pool.
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