20thmaine | 26 Nov 2014 6:21 p.m. PST |
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30209960 Hopefully they'll give it back again in good working order. This really is a sorry story: the Uk's biggest ever ship and we don't even get to use it new out of the box….. …sure, we can do the driving (well, maybe) and the cooking & cleaning – but I don't see the USMC handing their planes over to be repaired & maintained by someone else. I guess some shared piloting / interoperability training arrangement is quite likely though. |
Editor in Chief Bill | 26 Nov 2014 7:06 p.m. PST |
That would be… interesting… |
John the OFM | 26 Nov 2014 7:08 p.m. PST |
We'll just rename it "Yorktown". |
Mako11 | 26 Nov 2014 7:24 p.m. PST |
Yes, it is a sad state of affairs all around, e.g. the delays and skyrocketing cost of the F-35; the fact that if the 2021 timeline pans out, it will be fielded one year AFTER the stealth goes obsolete in 2020, if predictions on that are correct; having a carrier without any jets for it, etc., etc. |
Deadone | 26 Nov 2014 7:28 p.m. PST |
Whoa how wierd and unexpected. And what if USMC deploys Harriers on the British carriers. Oh the irony!
And given how few frigates and destroyers RN has (grand total of 19), they'll probably have to outsource that to USN as well! |
David Manley | 26 Nov 2014 9:05 p.m. PST |
"defence insiders" "Former chief of the defence staff" Actual story is "people not associated with the projects concerned have pet theories and previous axes to grind". |
15mm and 28mm Fanatik | 26 Nov 2014 9:30 p.m. PST |
Makes sense actually. No sense letting the new carrier wait for the UK F-35B's. Might as well let the Marines conduct initial operational capability. |
skippy0001 | 26 Nov 2014 10:29 p.m. PST |
In port pub crawls will be…interesting. |
Moe Ronn | 26 Nov 2014 11:27 p.m. PST |
So, are they going to refer to these guys (and gals) as MARIRNEs? |
MajorB | 27 Nov 2014 8:52 a.m. PST |
I thought the intention was to maintain a British crew and just have the Americans providing the aircraft and aviation support? |
kabrank | 27 Nov 2014 9:35 a.m. PST |
Mark Urban discusses the situation here:- link |
Mikasa | 27 Nov 2014 12:30 p.m. PST |
Of course I have no issues with the Americans using our kit, we are buddies. But this is a national disgrace. We're talking about defence of the realm, we should at least be prepared to field an interim aircraft to plug the gap. Britannia rules the waves? My arse it does |
Zyphyr | 27 Nov 2014 12:45 p.m. PST |
Sounds like a win-win to me. |
20thmaine | 27 Nov 2014 2:17 p.m. PST |
And what if USMC deploys Harriers on the British carriers. Oh the irony! Any contract would have to make that a no-no. That would just be salt in the wounds considering what the UK did with its Harriers. |