The aircraft carriers Queen Elizabeth (background) and Prince of Wales (foreground) under construction for the British Navy in Rosyte, January 2016. Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to be delivered to the British Navy in 2017, and the Prince of Wales - ahead of schedule in 2019 (c) Aircraft Carrier Alliance (via Jane's)
The landmark Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carrier program for the United Kingdom is accelerating and the lead ship of this class is nearing completion. The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, currently at the stage of system integration and mooring tests, is expected to go to sea for sea trials from Rosyth for the first time in late 2016 or early 2017. The factory sea trials are to precede the official acceptance of Queen Elizabeth by the UK Department of Defense from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) building at the future Queen Elizabeth home port in Portsmouth in the second half of 2017.
Jan Booth, Managing Director of ACA (a consortium of Babcock, BAE Systems, Thales and the British Department of Defense) explained at an open day organized by ACA and the Royal Navy in Rosyth in February 2016 that the study of the experience of large-block construction of the lead aircraft carrier with a displacement of 65,000 tons reduced the time required to manufacture, equip and assemble the hull blocks of the second Prince of Wales ship by approximately nine months.
At its peak, the QEC program provided about 10,000 jobs across the UK industry, and loaded the shipbuilding capacity of nearly every shipbuilding and ship repairing facility remaining within the UK - as well as some overseas. British shipyards involved in building the ship blocks include A&P in Hebbourne; Babcock International in Appledore and Rosyth; BAE Systems in Portsmouth and Glasgow; and Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. Final assembly takes place at the former Naval Dockyard in Rosyth, where 4,500 people are employed to assemble, complete and staff both ships, with the assistance of Royal Navy officials and crew.
At the peak of the work, the number of workers employed on the Queen Elizabeth construction in Rosyth reached 2500. In contrast, the workforce assigned to work at the Prince of Wales does not exceed 2000 people, and work is currently carried out on a two-shift basis (the maximum number of employees on board at any time is no more than 1500). It is worth noting that due to competition and a shortage of national personnel, not all of the workers employed on the second ship are British. Based on the languages used in the safety notices seen on board, 2% of the workforce is hired from Poland and Romania - mostly skilled welders and pipe fitters, according to an ACA spokesman.
Completion of the crew on board Queen Elizabeth is currently a priority. In preparation for the handover to the ship's gradually increasing crew moving from shore to be accommodated on board, 415 of the 471 cabins have already been handed over and the main galley has been completed. A total of 1,100 premises had been taken over by early February 2016, with "2,000 more to follow," Booth said.
Queen Elizabeth's arrival in Portsmouth is eagerly awaited as it will be an important psychological moment for both the British government and the Royal Navy. The key factor determining the feasibility of the transfer from Rosyth will be the availability of the ship's power plant.
The 110 MW power plant for QEC is a consortium of Thales UK, GE Converteam, L-3 and Rolls-Royce. The installation includes two MT30 gas turbine generators with a capacity of 36 MW and four Wärtsilä 38 diesel generators with a total capacity of 40 MW; power distribution system; integrated management system (IPMS); stabilizers; and four advanced 20 MW induction motors to drive two shaft lines and propellers.
The electrical system aboard Queen Elizabeth is "fully powered and powered," Booth said, and the high and low voltage distribution system and IPMS are already operational. The Engineer Officer explained that the propulsion system was being tested in 10 rpm increments, with a 1 hour 45 minute increment time, until the specified maximum shaft speed of 140 rpm was reached. By mid-February, the power system was operating successfully with a 50 percent load of the bow gas turbine generator, the capacity had to be repeated using the aft gas turbine generator later in the day, with a subsequent increase in load.
According to Booth, "If things go well in October, we can go to sea and start sea trials before Christmas." Alternatively, he said, a decision could be made to do “more [prep] work here and go to sea in early 2017.” In any case, the timing of Queen Elizabeth's transfer to Portsmouth will have no impact on the scheduled delivery date.
QEC control systems include an integrated navigation system and navigation bridge, an automated combat control system (ASBU), communications complexes, an administration and logistics system, and an air traffic and aviation flight control system. Most of the elements of these systems aboard Queen Elizabeth are also already "connected and interoperable" in preparation for mooring tests, Booth said, with engineers setting up and factory testing most of the aircraft control system and ASU.
Communication between various elements of the systems is provided by over 1,740 km of fiber-optic cable integrated into the ship's internal network. Currently, the work is focused on the integration of ASBU with shipborne long-range radars BAE Systems / Thales S1850M type 1046 (LRR) and medium-range radars BAE Systems ARTISAN 3D + type 997, respectively, used to illuminate the air and surface situation at long range and air traffic control and lighting tactical situations at medium range. The LRR radar is capable of tracking 1000 air targets at a distance of 250 miles, but at the moment it operates at a reduced power (at a range of up to 165 miles), although this is enough to track the movement of all aircraft flying from Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. In operation, the ASBU will also be used to compare and integrate information from the sensors of escort ships, including their means of electronic intelligence and electronic warfare.
In addition to the ASBU-equipped combat information center, the ship has a special command center for the commander of an aircraft carrier strike group, as well as a ship's intelligence center for processing classified information. It is also possible to create space that can accommodate 75 people, sufficient for a "two-star" (vice-admiral) level headquarters. In the usual way, these areas can be used as space for the deployment of naval or aviation headquarters or marine units. To expand or upgrade the network, it is possible to quickly route additional fiber optic cables through existing pipelines using high pressure air.
The highly mechanized ammunition supply system includes 56 autonomous hoists used to transfer ammunition between the vaults and the flight deck, also already installed and operational. Both aircraft lifts have already been installed, and the bow has already been put into operation. The metal thermal sheeting required to protect the flight deck from the jet engines of F-35B Lightning II aircraft has already been tested and is currently installed on three of the six Queen Elizabeth deck areas, covered with protective ventilated awnings.
While the deck coating used on conventional aircraft carriers was only able to withstand a maximum of two vertical landings of the F-35B aircraft, the new coating developed by Monitor Coatings is expected to require reapplication only once every three years and will also provide improved traction / friction characteristics (ACA working group member told Jane's that the emergency repair procedure for combat damage with a new coating has not yet been worked out).
The Queen Elizabeth hangar is designed to accommodate up to 24 F-35B units, with a maximum capacity of the entire aircraft carrier of about 40 aircraft. The hangar deck is divided into four separate "squadron zones" in order to provide service for the appropriate number of aircraft types of the air group. The gallery on the hangar deck will house two containerized deployable simulators that will allow F-35B pilots to practice four-plane flight in a virtual environment.
Meanwhile, rapid progress has been made in assembling the Prince of Wales at one of Rosyth's dry docks. Its last sponsor will be installed in May 2016, and this should complete the corps by mid-year, so this stage will be completed in less than two years. However, assuming that the dates will not be postponed, the withdrawal of the ship from the dock will not take place for almost a year - until the naming ceremony, which will take place in March or April 2017.
Captain Simon Petitt, the Navy's Chief Surveillance Officer for QEC, is serving as the crew commander of both ships during the current phase of construction. Captain Petitt assessed that despite the involvement of various design teams and the use of CAD techniques, and the varying weather conditions that would affect the building of hull blocks at various shipyards, the accuracy of the "QEC block building system was amazing."
When he took office in 2012, Queen Elizabeth had a crew of ten, but reached over 400 (out of a planned maximum of 733) in February 2016. The Prince of Wales still has a crew of just 12, although it is expected to grow to 70 by the time Queen Elizabeth is delivered.
Although the crew is not responsible for supplying the ships for themselves, the ship's crew is tasked with developing a significant portion of the operating manuals, completing the training process, and then "taking it out to sea under the Blue Flag." As part of the process, 70 Royal Navy engineers have so far been on the acceptance and commissioning teams in order to gain technical knowledge that will be used in the operation of the ships after their delivery.
Logistics bottlenecks of primary concern to operators have been eliminated through improved space design. As a rule, in previous warship projects, most of the food stocks should be stored in any available premises, whereas in QEC all storage facilities are organized in their optimal places. Combined with automated systems and high-capacity lifts, 20 sailors will be able to place supplies on their ship in half a day, compared to 100 and three days on board the previous Invincible class aircraft carrier, which had three times the displacement. and about the same crew size.
Hourly queues for lunch are said to be common aboard American Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, while the QEC is tasked with being able to feed the entire crew (including air group or Marine Corps) for one hour. 195 seats are located in the dining room for the lower ranks and another 125 in the adjoining premises. There is a separate galley for senior officers and officers, plus an aircrew rest gallery on deck 02.
In total, the ship should have over 1,600 beds. The lower ranks are accommodated in berths in cabins with six to eight berths. Five of these cabins are located in a single block around the public space, located in the middle of each "residential apartment" for 30-40 people.
The wardroom, dining room and hallway are intended to double the space for the improved Role 2 QEC Medical Complex, which is currently equipped to accommodate Stabilization Surgery. Based on experience with casualty flows at the Role 3 Hospital at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, all thresholds and obstacles in the complex have been removed to improve the speed and safety of the patient carts. The bow of the hospital is streaming for resuscitation, and the aft is for the operating room.
As you know, the Royal Navy has not received the manpower increase it hoped for in the 2015 Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR-2015), and the manning process for a large fleet will continue to be a "struggle," according to one officer. especially with regard to the formation of a layer of sufficiently qualified and experienced employees (SQEP) of engineering specialties. However, the 400-man Navy increase that has been approved must be complemented by the relocation of existing sailors, which will be possible through a process described as "internal rebalancing."
The QEC's maximum crew size of 733 (1,624 with a full air group) was originally designed to provide 72 combat sorties per day (108 sorties in overvoltage mode) with full operational capabilities. However, this level will not be reached for British F-35Bs until presumably 2023.
Accordingly, Navy officials told Jane's that the Royal Navy has begun working with the Queen Elizabeth crew to maximize the intensity of action "when we need it," and is embarking on similar preparations for the Prince of Wales - whose potentially accelerated deployment complicates this task. … In principle, most of the Prince of Wales crew should be transferred from the Ocean helicopter carrier, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in February 2018.
Other decisions made in SDSR-2015 are also important for ensuring the combat stability and survivability of the QEC during operational use, as well as for the readiness of the lead ship as a strike aircraft carrier.
Among other things, the British share of the F-35 program (in which the United Kingdom continues to be a Tier 1 partner) has been confirmed with 138 aircraft to be purchased over the course of the program. At the same time, the number of operational aircraft to be acquired by the early 2020s has been "calibrated" to ensure that 24 British F-35Bs can operate from aircraft carriers in 2023 (at full operational readiness), with another 14 aircraft available in parallel. for educational purposes.
The number of F-35Bs previously approved for acquisition under Tranche 1 remains at 48, but in order for both carriers to be able to serve as strike forces with 24 operational F-35Bs in an air group, or to maximize the strike capabilities of a single QEC with 36 aircraft and to provide some residual combat capability for the second QEC as an amphibious assault carrier, the optimal number of F-35Bs for carrier operations and training would be between 72 and 90 aircraft, Jane's said.
A study by the British Department of Defense Future Combat Air Systems should help determine which modification of the F-35 should be approved for purchase in subsequent tranches. SDSR-2015 left open the opportunity for the RAF to acquire a number of F-35A variant aircraft specifically for operations from ground based air bases, according to a statement from recently retired Deputy Chief of Defense Air Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier.
SDSR-2015 also includes references to plans to increase the number of Royal Navy escort ships "by the 2030s", which implies an increase in the number of frigates and destroyers from 19 to 23. Six of them will be the current Type 45 air defense destroyers, and eight will be new ships Type 26 (Global Combat Ships), optimized for anti-submarine warfare, which will provide partial replacements for the remaining Type 23 anti-submarine frigates.
The remainder of the enlarged escort fleet is to be made up of the subsequent Type 26 multipurpose variant and the "new type of light flexible general-purpose frigates", similar in concept to the predecessor Type 21, and which will possibly be known as Type 31.
Another key factor for the return of the Royal Navy to what one officer described as "carrier-centered task-group operations" will be the acquisition of three Fleet Solid Support logistic ships in addition to new versatile supply tankers of the MARS (Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability) type, which will begin to enter service in 2016.
JANE'S COMMENT
Hopefully, the capabilities of QEC onboard networks, and the ability to expand their onboard fiber optic data network (which allows designers to play with capabilities), will be sufficient to provide the bandwidth needed to maximize real-time sensor utilization and production of technical maintenance of the fifth generation strike fighters F-35B. QEC's onboard network capacity is currently limited to 8 Mbps, while the US Marine Corps has already faced a data bottleneck when operating the F-35B from its new universal amphibious assault ship America, whose internal network is speed-limited. 32 Mbps.
Manning is clearly an issue for the Royal Navy, which has already found it necessary to "employ" naval engineers from foreign navies (including 36 from the US Coast Guard) to meet the fleet's current size needs. While the Royal Navy will no doubt be able to meet the priority manning requirements of its future flagships, they cannot be used without the necessary escort of fully manned and efficient submarines, supply vessels and escort ships, the number of which in the latter case is also planned. increase.
Hangar of the under construction new British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth (c) Aircraft Carrier Alliance (via Jane's)
One of the engine rooms of the new British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth with an installed Wärtsilä 38 diesel generator for the ship's power plant (Wärtsilä 38 series diesel engines are designed and manufactured by the Dutch division of the Wärtsilä group - Stork-Wärtsilä Diesel) (c) Aircraft Carrier Alliance (via Jane's)
Completed personnel cabins on the new British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth. On the right is the private cabin, on the left is the junior officers' cabin (c) Aircraft Carrier Alliance (via Jane's)
A galley for the lower ranks on the new British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth (c) Aircraft Carrier Alliance (via Jane's)
