For its next mission, the flagship of the Royal Navy will carry eight F-35B fighters, while its carrying capacity is generally 24 aircraft. SWNS/SWNS/ABACA
The Royal Navy’s flagship is sailing two-thirds empty due to a shortage of aircraft.
The bridge of Queen Elizabeth is sparse. The proud British aircraft carrier is in need of planes. The centerpiece of an international deployment in the North Atlantic and around Norway, the flagship of the Royal Navy will sail two-thirds empty. It only carries eight fifth-generation fighter planes, which sparks controversy over the current capabilities of the Royal Air Force and more generally the British army.
THE HMS Queen Elizabethcan accommodate up to thirty-six F-35B Lightning and must routinely carry 24 in operation. But, according to the Times, only eight fighters will be on board for this mission, which is very light. For comparison, the newspaper recalls that the American aircraft carrier Gerald R. Fordwhen he cruised in the same area at the beginning of the year, had more than forty aircraft on board.
“It’s barely symbolic”
“There is no point having an aircraft carrier without planes,commented Admiral Lord West, former boss of the Royal Navyimagine…
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