The Oceans engines may prove upgradeable as the RR Crossley engines she is fitted with are apparently available with more power, but no doubt that would need to wait until a major refit. I suspect Rolls Royce could find a solution if asked

There have been various rumours that the RN will extend the current study into a new LPH to replace the Ark Royal when it retires in 2012-14 with a ship capable of flying the F-35’s if required. The RN are past masters at getting this sort of thing by the politico’s and the bean counters without them noticing so it wouldn’t surprise me if it were capable of operating the F35 (no doubt with some cheap modifications) when they select their next platform.

The imperial war museum in London may be able to help. They had a database that the public could play with (via a simplified screen and keyboard) the last time I went a few years ago, and you could look up every pretty well every known enemy bomb that had dropped and caused damage during the war. I think it used ARP records that someone had computerised, but I may be wrong. I used it to search down an off target V1 that partially destroyed my fathers house in the North Essex countryside, but it took some time as I don’t think you could search geographically or there was some other querk that I now forget. It even named the individuals killed or injured or made homeless in each case iirc. It looked ripe to go ‘on-line’ on the net even back then

I knew about the US Joint services thing but I have seen it mentioned in a couple of articles early in the programme in the UK, to mean Joint as in multi-national, and the thought must have stuck in my mind.

Isn’t there supposed to be advantages in the two island design in terms of crosswinds; as well as communications and radar fit, in that potentially conflicting transmissions can be placed some distance apart on each island. Or is that just spin from the designers ?

It would be nice to see something on the NG website to say that the E-2 can do the same as its been quiet since all the earlier discussions on here. Coz if they can do it on the Vik, they might be suitable for the RN’s new CVF’s.

Why have the Island so far back ? there have been so many carriers built in the last 90 years that would have thought they would have defined best practice by now 😀

Is this the one thats going to have the electro-magnetic launch system ? Last thing I heard the RN were going to offer to part fund its development, but was being held up due to American government rules on sharing new technology ?

Thanks guys, I had forgotten that the Trident silos were so large to accomodate a 60 tonne missile, and also that the tom is so slim. Its an interesting concept.

Terrific photos
😀