Well as they can’t have QE or PoW it would have to be new build after the latter has finished at Rosyth. Cost is often pegged at £3.5 billion per carrier but that might be driven down slightly if they ordered now to allow long lead items to be purchased but if there was a gap they probably would be more expensive. So £3 billion best case £4 billion worst case. There might be further scope to drive down costs further if India built significant sections but I doubt there yards are able to build to that level of accuracy yet also the systems fit significantly differs from the Indian norm these days. They would probably prefer LM2500 over MT30 gas turbines so you would have to throw in the redesign work as well which is a cost in itself. Presumably they would also want STOBAR or catapults so that is another set of costs to throw in. It gets the the point where it isn’t worth it as an exercise especially when other yards like Navantia can seriously undercut the UK on that kind of work.

As for 6 x Krivak? An ancient Soviet coastal sub chaser or Project 11356? Even if it is the latter those 6 frigates have to bust through the defensive screen to touch those carriers.

Anyhow RN carriers run over wayward Russian destroyers that get in their way ref Page 33:

http://www.axfordsabode.org.uk/pdf-docs/arkroy49.pdf

Found this curious early 90’s documentary about Invincible, at first I wasn’t sure if it was a hit piece and the presenter has some odd ideas about Sea King AEW but in closer look it appears to argue continued investment in carriers. She also clearly has aspirations of writing poetry as she constantly says all sorts of fluffy prose!

What was fascinating was each area looked at and issues raised for example lack of deck edge elevators or capacity to host increases in crew sizes depending on operations clearly fed into the design specification for QE class.

It also affirms my opinion that Harrier FA2 should of been based on Harrier II not the GR3 derived FRS1.

Anyhow enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp4O4lAaog4

Nope, that’s quite incorrect. Ryanair like to sell on their 737s early. It has nothing to do with the aircraft burning through their cycles/hours. In point of fact, they do not have all that many cycles on them. Yes, they are uses well, but the average flight time is 90 to 120 minutes.
Some of their longest flights are not too far short of 5 hours.

FR’s fleet renewal is purely down to getting the most money back from their aircraft as possible while keeping the average fleet age very young and free of hangar queens.

There was a rumour going round that FR got such a good deal on their last
batch of 737s, that they were selling them after 3 or 4 years in the fleet for a profit!

well you live and learn, but my other point is right it is to partially replace in service examples.

Well some of those new 737 will replace current in service examples, Ryanair has high cycle rates meaning the airframes burn through their hours.

True, but that doesn’t mean a third one will be ordered. Treasury won’t allow it, the other defence chiefs would be set against it and the Navy couldn’t crew it.

What you are arguing is making another carrier for the sake of it, the truth is there is going to be further consolidation in UK ship building regardless of what is on order. Rosyth is not going to be building any more ships after the QE class the owners Babcock have already made that clear.

This is a bit like when you were pushing the idea that a COD aircraft and Tanker should be purchased despite there being no operational need. You need to take your USN goggles off and understand it from a UK MOD, treasury and RN operational mindset.