The United Kingdom Joins France (Kind Of)

The UK has started work on their new carriers, the first of which is the HMS Queen Elizabeth. What a horrible name, considering their current, aging carriers are named Invinsible, Illustrious, and Ark Royal. But then again, our next aircraft carrier is sadly named the USS Gerald Ford. I guess "Midway," Coral Sea," or "John F. Kennedy" seemed too political for a Republican congress to name a major warship class after...

HMS Queen Elizabeth, a medium carrier capable of catapult launches

Here's the good news: the UK has quietly stated that it will be buying F-35Cs instead of F-35Bs. The F-35Bs are the short take-off and landing versions of the F-35 Lightning 2, designed to replace the Harriers. The F-35Cs are the American carrier versions, which means that the UK carriers will support both catapults and arresting gear. In other words, they will not be light carriers: they will be oil-powered medium carriers.

Better 2 medium carriers than 3 light ones. Or even 4 light ones.

Le France may buy one, though they prefer nuclear power. I predict they will forgo these and instead build another nuclear carrier.

Here's my hope: with a medium, catapult carrier design going into production, maybe other European navies with light carriers will follow. If Spain and Italy build a medium-class carrier each, based on the British design, and France builds another large carrier, then we are golden. A European Union with 6 good carriers (and Japan with 3 light ones) will contribute more to global security than our having 1 over 10. And I question how we can ever justify a navy with over 10 supercarriers (and over 8 amphibious assault/light carriers) after 2020.