Key Points – The United Kingdom’s new Strategic Defence Review calls for a “New Hybrid Navy,” envisioning a significant evolution for its Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers despite their troubled operational history.
That Big Change – The review advocates for transforming the carriers’ air wings into a “hybrid” force, complementing manned F-35B fighters with autonomous collaborative drone platforms.
-In a major strategic shift, the review also recommends equipping the carriers with their own organic, deck-launched long-range precision missiles for anti-ship capability.
-This push for a more powerful and technologically advanced fleet is a direct response to a changing global security environment and growing doubts about traditional US security guarantees.
The British Strategic Defence Review is in, and it Wants More from British Aircraft Carriers
The United Kingdom’s highly-anticipated Strategic Defence Review is live, and it has quite a lot to say about the Royal Navy and, in particular, what the Navy’s aircraft carriers can achieve. There is a strong emphasis on interoperability and high technology both above and below the waves.
“We will create a ‘New Hybrid Navy,'” the Review states, “building the Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarines, cutting-edge warships and support ships, transforming our carriers, and introducing new autonomous vessels to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond.
“The Royal Navy must continue to move towards a more powerful but cheaper and simpler fleet, developing a ‘high-low’ mix of equipment and weapons that exploits autonomy and digital integration,” the Review adds.
It’s all part of a plan that recesses the role of British power in a world where parts of the European continent are wracked by war, with the real potential for spill-over, as well as the conviction that the historical security guarantees from the United States may no longer be taken for granted.
A Raft of Problems
The Royal Navy’s current two-ship class of aircraft carrier, the Queen Elizabeth-class, has previously been beset by numerous problems despite its position as the most technologically advanced warship ever built for the Royal Navy.
In 2022, the Prince of Wales experienced a mechanical breakdown, marking the second such incident since 2019. The incidents raised questions about the reliability of the entire class. In 2017 and 2018, the Queen Elizabeth experienced flooding. The Prince of Wales would suffer a similar fate just a year later, in 2020.
But questions about the carrier’s capabilities aside, important though they are, the Royal Navy’s carrier fleet has faced a crisis of identity. What role exactly should two massive platforms of power projection play for a seafaring nation with little resources or capital to expend towards asserting presence far away from the British Isles? It is a question that the Strategic Defence Review attempts to tackle.
An Offensive Capability?
“Carrier strike is already at the cutting-edge of NATO capability but much more rapid progress is needed in its evolution into ‘hybrid’ carrier airwings, whereby crewed combat aircraft (F-35B) are complemented by autonomous collaborative platforms in the air, and expendable, single-use drones.”
Not only should the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers carry advanced aerial platforms, but they should also have their own organic anti-ship capability—a significant break from the kinds of weaponry carriers have typically been armed with.
“Plans for the hybrid carrier airwings should also include long-range precision missiles,” the Strategic Defense Review says. It also notes that those missiles should be “capable of being fired from the carrier deck.”
Mixed Fleet
The Strategic Defence Review does briefly raise the possibility of the United Kingdom operating a mixed fleet of F-35As and F-35Bs. “More F-35s will be required over the next decade. This could comprise a mix of F-35A and B models according to military requirements to provide greater value for money,” it states.
The United Kingdom does not currently operate the F-35A, which is more capable than the F-35B, favored by the United States Marine Corps due to its short take-off and vertical landing, or STOVL, capabilities. Crucially, however, the F-35A is not able to operate off the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class on account of their shorter, ski-jump-style ramps, for which the jet is not designed.
Given that potential shortcoming, speculation about British F-35As taking part in NATO’s nuclear sharing agreement in which European aircraft fly sorties armed with American nuclear weapons has been raised. The Strategic Defence Review does not mention this possibility, nor does it discuss scenarios involving tactical nuclear weapons.
What Happens Now?
The aircraft carrier remains a potent symbol of national will expressed on the geopolitical stage—membership in that club comes at a high cost in treasure and will. It takes a few enemies, too. Add to that list nuclear propulsion, and one’s pool of peers shrinks again. Maintaining that capability adds a significant amount of dollars—in this case, pounds—to the equation, too. Whether the Royal Navy ultimately fields a robust and credible carrier fleet, along with an effective naval aviation component, remains to be seen.
“It’s the same thing, it’s all influence,” Will Blackett, the commanding officer of HMS Prince of Wales, said. “We have to show people that we’re credible war fighters, then hope we never have to do it.”
“How many of these have you seen around the world? We’re one of a very small number of nations that have them. Also, see that bomb?” Blackett added. “We were in the carrier’s vast hangar, where he gestured at a bomb that had had its warhead replaced by concrete—to be used in target practice. “We can drop that from a long way away, and you won’t see it coming. So wouldn’t it be better to be our friend?”
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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