Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers

Air Maritime Integration

Williams Seminar, Canberra

Wednesday 10 August 2016
Captain Nick Walker Royal Navy
Naval Staff Policy
Carrier Strike and Aviation
Protecting our nations interests

OFFICIAL

Part 1
QEC Update

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Carrier Enabled Power Projection (CEPP)

An integrated and sustainable joint capability,
interoperable with NATO, that enables the projection of
UK Carrier Strike and Littoral Manoeuvre power as well
as delivering humanitarian assistance and defence
diplomacy, enabling joint effect across the maritime, land
and air environments at a time and place of political
choosing.
(CEPP CONEMP, Single Statement of User Need)

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QEC Capability

CARRIER STRIKE

AIR MANOEUVRE

F35B LII
Merlin Crowsnest

Support 2 Coy Assault

Merlin Mk2 ASW

Merlin Mk3/4 + CH4)

AH-64 + WILDCAT
Merlin Mk2 ASW
Merlin Crowsnest

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RW Air Group

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Carrier Strike
24 Lightning
(Best Effort CEPP CONEMP) 9 Merlin 2
Full C2 suite UK, NATO, US

5 Crowsnest

72 Sorties per day

C733 Ships Company - 1600 bunks
26+ kts
7000+nm range
45 Days Endurance
Role 2+ Medical

CS
CS

Optimised Aviation Mission Planning

Assured through life bandwidth
Protecting
Interoperability
with other
F35B nations
our nations
interests

CS

CN
ASW
C2

ASW
Magazine

CN
ASW

Ships
Coy
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Accom

Interoperability
UK-US SOI

National - CSG: JOINT

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OTHER F35B
NATIONS

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Carrier Enabled Power Projection

Lightning Flying Trials

Queen
Elizabeth

2016

2017

Prince of
Wales

2018

2019

2020

Jul 18
Dec 18
LII MARHAM IOC(L)

2017

2018

2023

2024

2025

2026

Sep 23
Initial Operating Capability
(Carrier Enabled Power
Projection)

Dec 20
IOC(M)

Maritime & Land-based

Land-based Capability
2016

2022

Lightning Flying Trials

Vessel Acceptance
Mar 20
Ship builder to
In Service
DE&S
Date

Feb 17
Flood-up

F35B

2021

2026
Full Operating
Capability (Carrier
Enabled Power
projection)

Feb 23
Full Operating
Capability (Carrier
Strike)

Dec 20
Initial Operating
Capability (Carrier
Strike)

Vessel
In Service
Acceptance
Date
Ship builder to DE&S to
DE&S
Royal Navy

2019

2020

2021

2022

Full Capability - Land or Sea

2023

2024

2025

2026

2023

2024

2025

2026

Operational Conversion
Unit
UK JCA Training USMC @ Beaufort

Crowsnest Radar system

2016

2017

In Service Date

2018

2019

UK OCU @ Marham

Initial Operating
Capability

2020

Full Operating
Capability

2021

2022

Part 2
The impact on the Royal Navy

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There is a strategic requirement for a

carrier-strike capability. (SDSR 10)
A Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, operating the most modern
combat jets, will give the UK the ability to project military power
over land as well as sea, from anywhere in the world. This
capability will give the UK long term political flexibility to act without
depending, at times of regional tension, on agreement from other
countries to use of their bases for any mission we want to
undertake.

We want to operate both carriers. Both carriers will be brought into

service. They will be a very big addition to British power. (PM, SDSR 15)

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Continuous Carrier Capability

RN will introduce 2 Carriers into service to ensure one carrier is
always available, 100% of the time
which deliversContinuous Carrier Capability
which forms one of two RN Strategic Pillars:
- Continuous At Sea Deterrent
- Continuous Carrier Capability
- enabling Carrier Strike and Continuous Amphibious Readiness

National Strategic assets.

Global and interconnected.
Forward deployed, at high enough readiness, and at enough scale.
They are maritime, not naval, forces, jointly enabled.
Strategic partnership and common strategic responsibility.

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Royal Navy Proposition

The Royal Navy - International by Design
Serving today and tomorrows strategic security and prosperity requirements

Maritime Effect

Soft Power
Engagement / Influence / Humanitarian

Flexible across the full spectrum

Continuous
At Sea
Deterrent

Hard Power
Conflict Prevention / Warfighting

Continuous
Carrier
Capability

Leading Europe
through NATO:
- Maritime Capability

Delivering Effectively:
- Exploiting Technology
- Thinking Innovatively
- Promoting Prosperity

- Maritime C2
Continuous
Amphibious
Readiness

Maritime Capability & Joint Enablers

Capability Properly Delivered

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UK Power Projection
Offensive

Sea Control
(Defensive)

RNs future
focus.

Traditional RN focus
(for many years ).

Carrier Strike
Counter
Land
ASW

AI

Counter
Maritime

ASuW

Counter
Air

Protect
DCA

Deep
Attack

Poise

CAS

EW

Air Manouevre

IW
Demo

OCA

AAW

Project

Assault

SEAD

Withdrawal

Raid

Command
Support

Fusion
Sustain

Connect

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Enable
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CSG Force Elements and Enablers

F-35B

Crowsnest

Embarked
Force

Strat
ISTAR

T45

T26

QEC

MITL

FSS
MPA
AO

Merlin ASW

SSN

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UAS

Wildcat HMA

Cyber

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Part 3
The approach to carrier air power

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When a sailor learns to fly, he remains a sailor,

and the air for him is merely the roof of the sea.

Sir Walter Raleigh, War in the Air 1922.

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The subliminal power of definitions

Maritime Power (AJP 3.1)
Military, political and economic power exerted through the use of the
sea, and exercised by sea, air and land resource.

Air Power (AJP 3.3)

The ability to use air capabilities to influence the behaviour of actors
and the course of events.

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Air power is inherently joint

because although we operate in the air, we seek to create effects and exert
influence primarily in other environmental domains.

Air power is usually most influential when we integrate it with

other environmental capabilities.
This will make sure that we integrate air power into the joint
campaign at the outset not add it later as an afterthought.

JDP 0-30 UK Air and Space Doctrine 2013.

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The subliminal power of terminology

4th Gen / 5th Gen vs Next Gen

Maritime and Air environments vs Information environment
Interaction across environmental seams, driven by a killweb
Demands a more connected approach between F35B and the CSG
Implications for C2 structures mission orders vice a directive ATO
Environmental boundaries become more transparent

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Future UK Requirements
Focus upon delivery of Next Gen capability:
What does it mean for skillsets and training?
Enhanced sensors; sharing of targeting information
interoperability with 4th Gen aircraft
Rapid re-programming
Exploitation of intrinsic ISR capability
Data-link capability to all environments
In the future, the wingman of an F-35 might be a Type 45
Destroyer

Target Engaged

Target Located

Target Data Shared

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Thematic summary
Programme update.
Strategic direction for the Royal Navy.
- Continuous Carrier Capability (CS) forcing integrated thinking
- Management of the Air Maritime seam
- Complexity of information management and exploitation
All the while retaining lethality and warfighting effectiveness
Approach to carrier based air power.
- Understanding the subtleties of definitions and terminology
- Next gen integration
- Information is environmentally agnostic. Does working in the
information environment render maritime and air concepts
outdated?
- Technology integration platform and environmental
- Cross-pollination of skill sets

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Concordia res parvae crescent

Work together to accomplish more

Motto of the UK Centre for Air Power Studies

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Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers

Air Maritime Integration

Williams Seminar, Canberra

Wednesday 10 August 2016
Captain Nick Walker Royal Navy
Naval Staff Policy
Carrier Strike and Aviation
Protecting our nations interests

OFFICIAL