Airgroup

The Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF) will deploy offensive air power in support of the full spectrum of future operations.  This will normally be provided by a Joint Force Air Group (JFAG) which primarily consists of a combination of the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) and the Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) system.  JCA/MASC will be capable of operating in all weathers, day and night, to provide carrier strike, as well as air defence for the carrier and offensive support for ground forces ashore.  The exact mix of aircraft types and numbers will be tailored as required to best meet operational needs.

A driving force behind the whole CVF programme is the desire to get a much larger airgroup to sea than the current Invincible class carriers can embark.  It was originally a fundamental requirement that the adopted CVF design be able to accommodate a permanent airgroup of up to 40 aircraft, and be able to temporarily accept an additional 10 support aircraft for a total of up to 50 in "surge" conditions, in 2002 this requirement was adjusted to a maximum of 48 aircraft and helicopters, in early 2003 to a maximum of 46 aircraft and helicopters (36 JCA, 4 MASC and 6 Merlin) and in early 2004 to a maximum of 40 aircraft and helicopters (36 JCA and 4 MASC) - although larger numbers may be carried dependent upon aircraft size. 

The CVF was also originally required to be able to sustain up to 150 sorties every 24-hour period, a cycle of about 12 sorties every two hours, but by late 2002 the figure had been reduced slightly to 110 Joint Combat Aircraft sorties (plus support sorties) per 24 hours.  In May 2004 the stated baseline TAG was 36 JCA and 4 MASC, the JCA's being capable of a surge of 108 sorties in 24 hours, 360-396 over a 5-day period.  In March 2005 the JCA sortie figures were given as 108 launches in the first 24 hours, reducing to 72 per day for ten days and 36 for a further 20 days.

Intrinsically linked to CVF is the new Future Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA). After examining various candidate aircraft, the UK government confirmed in early 2001 that the US Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme best met its JCA requirement. As the only Level 1 full collaborative programme partner, the UK is contributing £1.3 billion to the JSF system development and demonstration phase.  It is spending a further £600 million to address UK-specific requirements.

Following the conclusion of a competitive concept demonstration phase, Lockheed Martin's F-35 design was selected in November 2001 as the winner of the JSF competition. In September 2002 it was announced that the UK would opt for the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 in preference to the catapult-launch/arrested recovery carrier variant (CV).

Selection of the JSF variant to fulfil the JCA requirement was expected to represent a milestone decision since it would inform - if not condition - the carrier design and operating concept. Until that point the competing industry consortia had to follow a so-called 'twin track' approach whereby each continued to define and develop designs respectively optimised for STOVL and CV.  The decision made in September to adopt the STOVL F-35B for JCA, but utilise a STOVL'ised variant of the CTOL carrier design, allowed the teams to focus on one design without completely eliminating non-STOVL aircraft/helo's from future consideration for operation from the new carriers.

UK planning assumptions for JCA have been predicated around a purchase of 150 aircraft (replacing Sea Harrier FA.2s and Harrier GR.7/9s operated by Joint Force Harrier) at an estimated cost of between £7 billion and £10 billion. Early withdrawal of the Sea Harrier FA.2 in 2006 is expected to see numbers revised downwards: the final total will depend on the choice of variant, and a wider analysis of future offensive air needs but press reports are suggesting 110.

An increasingly serious problem that emerged during 2003 was how to provide sufficient aircraft for large new aircraft carriers given the defence budget overstretch and the ever prospect of deep defence cuts.  The selection of the F-35B for JCA in September 2002 was becoming seen as a bigger blow to the RN's carrier plans than had been realised at the time.  If the F-35C had been selected instead for JCA than it would almost certainly have become FOAS(C) as well and there would then have been enough money to buy "up to 150" JCA’s, as long planned - indeed the number may have been slightly increased.  Instead, the RAF was now demanding funding to buy a completely separate manned platform for FOAS, when this was combined with RAF plans to buy 232 of the expensive Eurofighter Typhoon fighter (a number which amazingly has survived every Defence Review since the early 1990's) it started to become obvious that there simply wasn't enough money left for the full funding of JCA as well.  By May 2003 there were press reports that the UK’s F-35B buy would be reduced to 110, and numbers as low as 80 have since been suggested.  This proposed reduction in number rendered joint force plans for the deployment of JCA invalid.  From a RN point of view the situation was not helped by the fact that although its hoped that two F-35B squadrons will be largely “dark blue” manned and commanded by RN officers, in practice the RAF are going to own all the F-35B's, they will be based at RAF bases, come under Strike Command, and be funded out of the RAF budget.  For JCA to appear regularly on CVF, the RAF would have to change its present deployment assumption, which is that it is sized and organized to support a number of Deployed Operational Bases (DOBs) each with a mixed set of Force Elements.  It would have to remove one DOB and replace it with a CVF airgroup.  However between them, the CVF's will want aircraft nearly all the time, while a RAF DOB has aircraft in it for only around 60 days a year.  Once the sums were done, it turned out that the tasked CVF would have only 12 F-35B's on it for most of the time, which was not regarded as sufficient or cost effective for large carriers.  Only if the RAF agreed that sea based operations should be a priority for the F-35B squadrons did the RN’s expensive new carrier plans make sense and become justifiable, if not then the CVF project as envisaged was becoming threatened with cancellation due the lack of an adequate airgroup.  [Interestingly, since the defence cuts announced in July 2004 which reduced the operational requirement for RAF offensive strike aircraft to just 64 deployable front-line aircraft, there have been reports that the RAF is now advocating a switch from the STOVL F-35B to the CTOL F-35C variant in order to avoid having an excessive proportion of less capable (at least in terms of range and payload) STOVL aircraft in the shrunken force.]

The current official in-service date for the JCA is 2014, when a squadron off perhaps eight aircraft should be nominally available for limited operations in an emergency.  The more pragmatic reality is that the first CVF will may conduct its first JCA flying trials in late 2014, and is unlikely to embark an operational squadron until 2017 or 2018.  

In addition to the JCA, the CVF will also embark a Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) capability, and often EH-101 Merlin helicopters.  The current version (HM.1) of the Merlin is primarily intended for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), but a planned update is likely to make the platform far more versatile - in to a multi-role helicopter capable of carrying out ASW, ASuW, transport, search and rescue, and other missions.

Formerly known as Future Organic Airborne Early Warning, MASC is intended to replace the existing Sea King ASC.7 helicopter.  MASC will operate in conjunction with JCA providing air surveillance and airspace co-ordination. It may further evolve to support offensive air operations and land-attack co-ordination.

The favourite option for MASC seems to be an AEW version of the EH 101 Merlin helicopter, although alternative platforms remain under consideration.  Selection of the MASC acquisition programme has been complicated by its misalignment with JCA; Initial Gate for MASC did not occur until July 2005 so the September 2002 decision to select a STOVL carrier design (albeit "adaptable") has necessarily constrained the choice of air vehicle for MASC.  It has been argued that this predetermining of the MASC solution may well preclude the most coherent and cost-effective system solution (which might be judged to be the Advanced Hawkeye E-2D), and deliver a capability that falls short in key areas - such as a supporting time-critical strike.

The selected MASC platform will be announced at Main Gate approval, which has slipped from 2006 to 2009.  With MASC badly delayed, and now not expected to enter service until 2018, rather than the previously 2012, the CVF's will have to operate Sea King ASaC.7 helicopters for several years.

To reduce costs and free aircraft for other commitments, the maximum size airgroup will not usually be carried in peacetime, instead core airgroup components will be supplemented as required.  Rather than maintaining large and permanently formed Carrier Air Group's (e.g. the CVW's embarked by USN aircraft carriers), the concept of a Tailored Air Group (TAG) rather than fixed Carrier Air Group (CAG) will be adopted for CVF as it already has been for HMS Ocean, with the exact types and numbers of aircraft embarked being adjusted to meet current requirements and threats. 

Joint Force Air Group (JFAG)

From about 2018 the standard Carrier Strike TAG will normally consist of three core components:

• Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) - a new supersonic multi-role fixed wing aircraft to be operated by a combined RN/RAF "Joint Force 2000", the STOVL variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been selected for this role - replacing the Harrier GR.9

• Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) - a new generation AEW airborne platform.

• AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin - primarily an ASW helicopter but other capabilities will be added or enhanced via a capability sustainment programme. 

The JFAG will also operate helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from all three Services in a variety of roles that could include anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare, attack and support. 

In keeping with the increasingly joint nature of operations, it is anticipated that other British military aviation assets compatible with carrier operation, including uninhabited air vehicles (UAV's) will be embarked and supported aboard the CVF to suit specific operational circumstances as part of a Joint Force Air Group.  For example RAF Chinook HC.2 and Merlin HC.3 medium- and heavy-lift helicopters could be brought aboard to participate in an evacuation and/or disaster relief operation.  Alternatively, army WAH-64 attack helicopters attack helicopters could be flown from the deck of CVF to provide air support to expeditionary forces.  Helicopters procured for the Future Rotorcraft Capability (FRC) are likely to be regular visitors to CVF, and UAV's are also often mentioned   Pre-packaged, containerised support facilities will be developed that can be quickly loaded and "plugged in to" pre-allocated spaces on CVF to provide support facilities for non-core aircraft and helicopters.

For planning and design purposes, a standard strike tailored air group could include thirty JCAs on board, with up to six anti-submarine Merlin's and four maritime air surveillance and control (ASaC) aircraft, or an equivalent UAV based capability.  Additional JCA's could be substituted for the Merlin's for short periods.  A large scale JCA (24+ plus aircraft) deployment on CVF is expected to be exercised once every two years, baring operational situations of course.

A more typical peacetime embarked TAG for the optimised CVF is likely to consist of a one, or at most both, squadrons of F-35B fighters from the Naval Strike Wing - it had been expected that these would be 12 aircraft each but reports in late 2006 suggest this may be reduced to 9, plus a  flight of 4 MASC aircraft/helicopters.  In addition, a squadron of up to 6 Merlin ASW helicopters could be embarked as required for exercises. 

Although not officially stated, it seems likely that in practice 1 or 2 utility helicopters (possibly a basically civilian model helicopter) will be embarked on the carrier for Sea-Air Rescue (SAR) and plane guard duties, Carrier-On-board-Delivery (COD) and Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP). 

The large hanger space of CVF will be adequate for accommodating at least 24 aircraft and helicopters, considerably aiding serviceability in hostile environments such as the North Atlantic, however the embarkation of additional aircraft and helicopters would necessitate the use of a permanent flight deck park.

Because of delays to the JCA and MASC projects, it's now anticipated that Harrier GR.9 aircraft and Sea King ASaC.7 helicopters will be operated from the CVFs in their early years of service - up to at least 2018-19

Notes:
1.In addition, CVF will probably often operate a Ship Flight of 1 or 2 helicopters of unknown type for SAR, COD and utility purposes.
2. Expected to be embarked for exercise every two years.
3. Speculative.

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