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UK Future Aircraft Carrier: Major Report on the UK Carrier ProgrammePublished by: SMI Publishing, Ltd Published: Jan. 1, 2003 Table of ContentsExecutive Summary The Importance of Aircraft Carriers The UK Carrier Programme The Joint Strike Fighter International Aircraft Carriers Vulnerability of Aircraft Carriers Conclusion Bibliography List of Contacts List of Tables Table 1: The Exercise of Naval Air Power Table 2: The Roles & Missions Provided by Aircraft Carriers Table 3: Royal Navy's Current Aircraft Carriers Table 4: Key User Requirements (KUR) for the CVF (Carrier) Programme Table 5: BAE Systems CVF Industrial Team Table 6: BAE Systems Consortium and Roles Table 7: Thales Naval CVF Industrial Team Table 8: Key Dates for the Carrier Programme Table 9: The Principal Dimensions of the Carrier Table 10: Programme Milestones Table 11: Range & Sustainability of The Aircraft Carrier Table 12: Base Port/Berthing Aircraft Carrier Major Issues Table 13: Propulsion of the Carrier Table 14: Magazine Design Drivers Table 15: Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) User Requirements Table 16: The Acquisition Costs of An Aircraft Carrier Programme Table 17: The Joint Strike Fighter Milestones Table 18: Countries With One or More Warship in Service Capable of Embarking Fixed Wing Aircraft Table 19: United States Aircraft Carriers Construction Table 20: US Navy Amphibious Assault Ships Table 21: Countries With One or More Warship in Service Capable of Embarking Fixed Wing Aircraft Table 22: The Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier Table 23: The Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier Table 24: The Minas Gerais Aircraft Carrier Table 25: The Aircraft Carrier the São Paulo (previously the Foch) Table 26: The Aircraft Carrier Viraat Table 27: The Admiral Gorshkov Aircraft Carrier Table 28: The Giuseppe Garibaldi Aircraft Carrier Table 29: The Principe de Asturias Aircraft Carrier Table 30: The Chakri Naruebet Aircraft Carrier AbstractThe aircraft carrier has been at the forefront in both armed conflict and peace. It has developed many roles during war including reconnaissance, power projection ashore, aerial combat, antisubmarine warfare and in peacetime providing a visual presence of power in order to demonstrate political resolve. The first section of this report examines the flexibility that aircraft carriers can provide and demonstrates this since the First World War, through the Second World War, during the Cold War and indeed in the regional conflicts since the end of the Cold War. In this section the political rationale that determined the United Kingdom's requirement for the procurement of two aircraft carriers is enunciated. The primary document that led to the procurement decision was the process known as the "Strategic Defence Review". The impact of September 11th 2001 is addressed in "The New Chapter" to the Strategic Defence Review which reaffirmed the importance of flexible assets. The following section examines the carrier programme in detail. It outlines the two competing teams for the prime contractorship of the carrier programme. These two teams are led by BAe Systems and Thales. The two teams are analysed and broken down into the constituent companies that they are comprised of. The Ministry of Defence procurement process known as the Smart Procurement Initiative is addressed with respect to the carrier programme and the key decision dates for the carrier programme are outlined. The engineering and technical details associated with the carrier programme are analysed in detail along with the companies that are undertaking this work. The acquisition and life costs of the carrier programme are analysed and broken down into their constituent parts to provide transparency of the carrier programme's associated costs. The impact of the carrier programme on the UK shipbuilding industry is addressed in terms of regional employment issues and the maintenance of the UK's defence industrial base. The wider economic benefits to the overall UK economy, is a further aspect of the carrier programme. The aircraft carrier exists to enable its air assets to be used. The individual air assets that will be flown from the carrier are examined in the section that follows. The most important if these aircraft is the Joint Strike Fighter. The origins and development of the JSF are outlined with regard to the companies involved in the process. Also the number of JSF variants is highlighted along with the technical, and innovative propulsion technology that is incorporated in the aircraft along with the different weapon systems it will carry. Of particular importance to the UK JSF programme is the modifications to the JSF to meet the specific requirements of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The Ministry of Defence's decision to purchase the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant decision is analysed with respect to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force user requirements and the impact it has for industry. The Maritime Airborne and Surveillance and Control (MASC) requirement for the carrier is addressed along with the range of options available. The next section enables the United Kingdom's aircraft carriers to be placed in an international perspective. This section examines the countries in the world which currently operate one or more aircraft carriers. It highlights the number of aircraft carriers each country has, the propulsion systems, the aircraft they are able to operate along with the range and speed, for each of the countries. It also briefly describes the work undertaken on the carriers and estimates its service life. The final section examines the vulnerability of aircraft carriers. In particular it examines the ability of an aircraft carrier to withstand attacks and whether it could operate whilst undergoing such an attack. Also examined is the new concept of "Naval swarms" and its possible use against aircraft carriers. These swarms could take the form of a small corvette sized platform or a high-speed power boat armed with explosives.
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