The Royal Navy is at risk of losing one of its two new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers due to the need to trim the UK’s burgeoning defence budget.
A report in the Sunday Times on October 25 says the Navy has already agreed to operate one of the two new vessels as an amphibious helicopter carrier rather than embark F-35B JSFs as originally planned, saving at least £1bn (A$1.8bn) in the process but putting at risk the UK’s full requirement for 138 F-35Bs. Further savings would be made by negating the need to replace the RN’s current amphibious ship, HMS Ocean.
The report says a complete cancellation of the two 60,000 tonne ships is unlikely due to nearly half the contracts for their construction having already been let.
