Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:31:09-2:34:06

Why GCAP is unlikely to fly from Queen Elizabeth-class carriers

GCAP is not expected to be STOVL, while a French SCAF carrier aircraft would require major changes to British carriers and their operating arrangements.

Carrier AviationF-35BTempest (GCAP Combat Aircraft)Global Combat Air ProgrammeQueen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers
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Question

Could GCAP or SCAF operate from Queen Elizabeth-class carriers?

Short answer

Neither is expected to provide a straightforward STOVL replacement. A French CATOBAR aircraft would require major carrier changes, making an eventual F-35B successor the more likely route.

Notes

GCAP is identified after an acronym mix-up as the joint British-Italian-Japanese programme incorporating Tempest. A STOVL version is considered unlikely, making operation from the Queen Elizabeth class an awkward fit. The separate SCAF proposal raises a different question: a carrier version for France would be designed for catapult launches and arrested recoveries. Using that aircraft would require substantial changes to the British carriers and, in the argument made here, a shift from their existing Anglo-American operating arrangements toward an Anglo-French system. An eventual F-35B successor is regarded as the more likely naval path. All these forecasts are qualified by the long distance between the programmes under discussion and operational aircraft.