How can the Royal Navy provide airborne early warning when Hawkeye cannot operate from its carriers?
Short answerIt needs a carrier-compatible uncrewed radar aircraft rather than a conventional Hawkeye.
NotesThe Queen Elizabeth-class carriers cannot launch Hawkeye in their existing configuration. The identified British uncrewed carrier-aviation program is for airborne early warning. Its purpose is to put a radar aboard an uncrewed aircraft as a replacement for the current airborne-warning capability. This is a defined sensor role, distinct from the still-unspecified uncrewed strike aircraft discussed earlier.