Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:35:01-3:35:21

A licensed Hawkeye still needs a CATOBAR carrier

Domestic aircraft production would not solve the Queen Elizabeth class's incompatible launch-and-recovery architecture.

Carrier Airborne Early WarningCATOBARE-2 HawkeyeNaval AviationQueen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers
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Question

Why did Britain not build the E-2 Hawkeye under license for the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers?

Short answer

Because Hawkeye requires a CATOBAR carrier, and license production would not change the ships' launch-and-recovery system.

Notes

A viewer asks why Britain did not build the E-2 Hawkeye under license for the Queen Elizabeth class. The aircraft's operating requirement matters more than its place of manufacture. Hawkeye flies only from CATOBAR carriers, so domestic license production would not make it compatible with a carrier lacking that launch-and-recovery arrangement. Carrier architecture, rather than aircraft procurement alone, decides whether Hawkeye can operate.