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Tel: +44 (0)20 7429 4000 Fax: +44 (0)20 7429 4001To find a stockist near you,
visit http://www.airforcesmonthly.comISSN 0955 7091. The combined print and digital average sale
for the period Jan-Dec 2017 was 15,954 copies monthly.he first of the UK’s next-generation
fighters arrived at their new home of
RAF Marham, Norfolk, on June 6. The
four Lightnings (the UK has officially dropped
the ‘II’ from the jet’s name) touched down at
20.15hrs after a transatlantic flight from MCAS
Beaufort, South Carolina, where more jets and
around 150 RAF and Royal Navy personnel
are training up to seed future squadrons.
The Lightning – of which 48 STOVL F-35B
versions are currently committed to – is
just one part of a much bigger effort to
reinstate the UK’s carrier strike capability.
Under the Carrier Enabled Power Projection
(CEPP) project, a team is bringing together
all the elements required to deploy the two
new carriers – the Royal Navy’s biggest
ever warships. While most attention has
been placed on the first-of-class sea trials
for the F-35B aboard the HMS Queen
Elizabeth planned for the autumn, the teamis also working on bringing into service
the vital Crowsnest airborne early warning
system for the Merlin HM2, the new carrier-
optimised Commando Merlin Mk4 and all
the other parts of the future carrier force.
One ‘missing’ asset is a carrier on-board
delivery (COD) platform capable of lifting
outsize and heavy items to the ships – such
as a complete F135 jet engine for an F-35B,
which might be required rapidly. Realistically,
the V-22 tiltrotor is the only aircraft that fits
the bill – the US Navy’s CMV-22 is tailored to
carry an F-35 power module internally. While
RAF Chinooks have already been evaluated
on HMS Queen Elizabeth, the heavy-lift
helicopter lacks the range to bring such vital
equipment to the vessel over longer distances.
The MOD has been resistant to the idea
of an Osprey purchase. Responding to a
parliamentary question last year, Defence
Minister Earl Howe said: “The V-22 Osprey isnot part of the resourced plan to deliver the
UK carrier strike capability.” He added that
the MOD would “continue to explore a variety
of options to augment the capabilities of the
Queen Elizabeth class carriers in future.”
Of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s three solid stores
ships, only one has the Heavy Replenishment at
Sea (HRAS) system tailored for the new carriers.
The other two are only capable of bringing dry
stores – including ammunition and food – to
the carriers by helicopter. This is an expensive
and potentially vulnerable process and one
that can be interrupted by bad weather. The
Osprey might be a sensible solution.Comment
Next Issue
*UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that the
overseas deliveries are likely to be after this date.On sale July 19
Osprey for the UK: the missing link?
Thomas Newdick
Email at:
[email protected]T
Above: MV-22B Osprey 168636 ‘EG-16’ of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 ‘Thunder Chickens’ at Spain’s San Javier air base on June 6. This
Osprey is detached to Morón, Seville as part of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Africa (SP-MAGTF-CR-AF) and is marked as
‘Gopher Broke’, recalling the unit’s Vietnam-era callsign. Roberto Yáñezhttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com #364 JULY 2018 // 3