Aircraft carriers are floating dinosaurs, with the added bonus for the enemy that when their missiles take them out, they’ll probably take out a bunch of aircraft, too. From Kit Klarenberg at kitklarenberg.com:
On November 15th, The Times published a remarkable report, revealing serious “questions” are being asked about the viability of Britain’s two flagship aircraft carriers, at the highest levels of London’s defence establishment. Such perspectives would have been unmentionable mere months ago. Yet, subsequent reporting seemingly confirms the vessels are for the chop. Should that come to pass, it will represent an absolutely crushing, historic defeat for the Royal Navy – and the US Empire in turn – without a single shot being fired.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales first set sail in 2017 and 2019 respectively, after 20 years in development. The former arrived at the Royal Navy’s historic Portsmouth base with considerable fanfare, a Ministry of Defence press release boasting that the carrier would be deployed “in every ocean around the world over the next five decades.” The pair were and remain the biggest and most expensive ships built in British history, costing close to $8 billion combined. Ongoing operational costs are likewise vast.
HMS Queen Elizabeth departs on maiden operational tour, 2021
For added perspective, yesterday I heard Ex Navy Seal and founder of Blackwater, Eric Prince, being interviewed by Maria Bartiromo.
He casually mentioned, in passing, that Putin’s new missile that was just used for the first time against Ukraine, “impacted at Mach 9!”
If that fact doesn’t put your Navy and its 11 carrier groups at Defcon 1, I don’t know what the hell might!!!!!
Dave Walden