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13 novembre 2013 3 13 /11 /novembre /2013 08:50
Royal Navy aircraft carrier ramping up

The 300-tonne section of ramp is lifted onto the Queen Elizabeth [Picture: Aircraft Carrier Alliance]

 

11 November 2013 Ministry of Defence and Defence Equipment and Support

 

The final section of the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth has been fitted onto the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier.

 

Pictures released by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance today show the ramp section, which will allow jet aircraft to take off from the ship, being lowered into place at the shipyard in Rosyth, Scotland, where the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers are being constructed.

The 300-tonne section of ramp, which is 64 metres long and 13 metres wide, is the final exterior piece of the aircraft carrier to be fitted. At its highest point, the take-off ramp is 6 metres above the flight deck, which will allow aircraft to be propelled into the air.

The pictures come on the same day as MOD announces that a fourth Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft has been ordered from Lockheed Martin. The UK has already taken delivery of 3 Lightning II jets and Royal Navy and RAF pilots are training on the aircraft in the USA.

This fourth jet, which is specially designed to be a test aircraft, will help boost the ongoing training available.

The forward ramp section in place on the Queen Elizabeth
The forward ramp section in place on the Queen Elizabeth at the shipyard in Rosyth [Picture: Aircraft Carrier Alliance]

Earlier this year, the first take-off at sea by a UK pilot in a Lightning II took place during a week of trials aboard the United States Marine Corps’ amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.

Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, said:

We are on track to ensuring carrier strike capability by 2020. Both the completion of the take-off ramp and the announcement of the contract for the fourth jet show the tremendous progress being made to ensure that the Royal Navy will have a modern carrier force.

Not only are these jets the most advanced ever operated by our armed forces, but the programme is worth over £1 billion to UK industry each year and will support around 25,000 British jobs over the next 25 years.

An F-35B Lightning II jet takes off from the USS Wasp
An F-35B Lightning II jet takes off from the USS Wasp (library image) [Picture: Todd R McQueen, Lockheed Martin]

MOD’s Chief of Materiel (Air), Air Marshal Simon Bollom, said:

The latest contract for the fourth Lightning II means we are a step closer to realising the ambition of having the most advanced fast jets available for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy to defend our nation’s interests.

Our strong participation in the test and development of the aircraft has shown the potent capability that this fifth-generation fighter delivers.

It represents the cutting-edge of combat aircraft design and will be a tremendous asset for the UK, so we are delighted with the progress the programme is making.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to be structurally complete next year. She will begin her sea trials in 2017 before flight trials with the Lightning II jets get underway in 2018.

As well as operating from the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, Lightning II will be jointly operated by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy from RAF Marham in Norfolk

The 300-tonne section of ramp is lifted onto the Queen Elizabeth
The 300-tonne section of ramp is lifted onto the Queen Elizabeth [Picture: Aircraft Carrier Alliance]
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8 novembre 2013 5 08 /11 /novembre /2013 17:50
BAE Type 26 Frigate Program

BAE Type 26 Frigate Program

 

06/11/2013, Michel Cabirol – LaTribune.fr

 

Le groupe britannique de la défense va supprimer 1.775 emplois dans ses chantiers navals en Grande-Bretagne d'ici à 2016. Le site de Portsmouth fermera au deuxième semestre 2014.

 

Le géant britannique de la défense BAE Systems a annoncé mercredi qu'il comptait supprimer 1.775 emplois dans ses chantiers navals en Grande-Bretagne d'ici à 2016 après être parvenu à un accord avec le ministère de la Défense. "BAE Systems est parvenu à un accord de principe avec le gouvernement sur des mesures permettant la mise en oeuvre d'une restructuration de son activité de construction navale au Royaume-Uni", a indiqué le groupe dans un communiqué.

 

Dans le détail, 940 postes devraient être supprimés sur le site de Portsmouth (sud de l'Angleterre), où l'activité cessera au deuxième semestre 2014, et 835 autres répartis sur les sites de Filton (ouest de l'Angleterre), de Glasgow (Ecosse) et de Rosyth (Ecosse). Le groupe va entamer des discussions avec les organisations syndicales. Le coût de cette restructuration sera supporté par le ministère de la Défense, a assuré BAE Systems, qui emploie au total 88.200 personnes dans le monde.

 

Baisse des commandes

 

Cette restructuration intervient alors que ces chantiers navals vont être confrontés dans les années à venir à la baisse de leurs commandes liées à la construction de deux porte-avions pour la Royal Navy, qui doivent entrer en service à l'horizon 2020.

 

BAE Systems entend donc regrouper ses activités de construction navale à Glasgow. Le site écossais se verra attribuer la construction du futur navire militaire Type 26 ainsi que la construction des prochains lots (Lower Block 05 et Upper Blocks 07 et 14) du porte-avions Queen Elizabeth, dont les termes du contrat ont été modifiés. En attendant le Type 26, l'armée confiera à BAE la construction de trois navires de patrouille afin de pallier en partie la baisse du carnet de commandes.

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