ianstone
10-04-2010, 09:03 AM
Navy to lose new carrier
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01137/SNN0402A-682_1137306a.jpg Air-some ... how huge carriers would look at sea together
You’ve shrunk (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3151008/Youve-shrunk-brour-battleships.html)
our battleships (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3151008/Youve-shrunk-brour-battleships.html)
DEFENCE bosses plan to shrink the Royal Navy’s battleship fleet by HALF, we can reveal (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3151008/Youve-shrunk-brour-battleships.html)
<LI class=red-chevron-list sizcache="5" sizset="22">Fault grounds fleet of RAF jets (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3142823/Ejector-seat-fault-grounds-every-RAF-Typhoon.html)
By TOM NEWTON DUNN, Political Editor
Published: Today
http://www.thesun.co.uk/img/buttons/chicklet-comments.gif (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3163701/Navy-to-lose-new-aircraft-carrier.html#comment-rig) Add a comment (11) (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3163701/Navy-to-lose-new-aircraft-carrier.html#comment-rig)
THE Royal Navy is to lose one of its two new jumbo aircraft carriers, David Cameron has signalled.
The axing of one of the giants would lop BILLIONS off the defence budget.
But, crucially, it may also allow the Navy to keep more frigates and destroyers.
In a TV interview yesterday, the PM would only commit to one of the two Queen Elizabeth class carriers being built at a cost of £5.2billion.
He said: "One of them is under way."
Revealing that the other's fate hung in the balance, Mr Cameron added: "They are a very big part of the decisions that we have got to make about how we make sure our forces are flexible."
The 60,000-ton ships, Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales, were ordered to replace the fleet's three ageing carriers, Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal. The future of Queen Elizabeth is safe but Prince of Wales may be built then kept as a spare or sold.
A plan submitted by chiefs might have seen the UK's surface warship fleet slashed to 12 - the size of Portugal's - as The Sun revealed two weeks ago.
<LI sizcache="6" sizset="27">ABOUT 55,000 of 300,000 defence industry jobs - more than one in six - could go because of MoD cuts, economic analysts warn.
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01137/SNN0402A-682_1137306a.jpg Air-some ... how huge carriers would look at sea together
You’ve shrunk (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3151008/Youve-shrunk-brour-battleships.html)
our battleships (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3151008/Youve-shrunk-brour-battleships.html)
DEFENCE bosses plan to shrink the Royal Navy’s battleship fleet by HALF, we can reveal (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3151008/Youve-shrunk-brour-battleships.html)
<LI class=red-chevron-list sizcache="5" sizset="22">Fault grounds fleet of RAF jets (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3142823/Ejector-seat-fault-grounds-every-RAF-Typhoon.html)
By TOM NEWTON DUNN, Political Editor
Published: Today
http://www.thesun.co.uk/img/buttons/chicklet-comments.gif (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3163701/Navy-to-lose-new-aircraft-carrier.html#comment-rig) Add a comment (11) (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3163701/Navy-to-lose-new-aircraft-carrier.html#comment-rig)
THE Royal Navy is to lose one of its two new jumbo aircraft carriers, David Cameron has signalled.
The axing of one of the giants would lop BILLIONS off the defence budget.
But, crucially, it may also allow the Navy to keep more frigates and destroyers.
In a TV interview yesterday, the PM would only commit to one of the two Queen Elizabeth class carriers being built at a cost of £5.2billion.
He said: "One of them is under way."
Revealing that the other's fate hung in the balance, Mr Cameron added: "They are a very big part of the decisions that we have got to make about how we make sure our forces are flexible."
The 60,000-ton ships, Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales, were ordered to replace the fleet's three ageing carriers, Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal. The future of Queen Elizabeth is safe but Prince of Wales may be built then kept as a spare or sold.
A plan submitted by chiefs might have seen the UK's surface warship fleet slashed to 12 - the size of Portugal's - as The Sun revealed two weeks ago.
<LI sizcache="6" sizset="27">ABOUT 55,000 of 300,000 defence industry jobs - more than one in six - could go because of MoD cuts, economic analysts warn.