Javan: British aircraft carrier will be sent to the Mediterranean to deter RussiaThe aircraft carrier of the British Navy HMS Queen Elizabeth will be sent to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea this year to demonstrate the capabilities of deterring Russia, writes Javan.
This could allow F-35 Lightning fighters to fly over the Black Sea.
As it became known, the UK intends to send its aircraft carrier to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea in order to "contain Russia" and demonstrate its own military power in the region. This became known from the message of the British edition of the Times.
IA "Fars": The British Times reported last Wednesday that in order to "prevent the invasion of Russia" and "demonstrate naval power, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, belonging to the British Navy, will be sent to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea this year. According to the country's military sources, the aircraft carrier will lead a combat group in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea for the fourth time in the last four years. The reports also emphasize that F-35 Lightning fighters based on this aircraft carrier will be allowed to fly over the Black Sea as well.
Apparently, the aircraft carrier "HMS Queen Elizabeth" in the future will not be the only warship belonging to the British Navy, which is designed to perform similar combat missions. As it became known, the United Kingdom planned to use the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier in addition to the Queen Elizabeth, but in 2023 this ship will not be sent to the Mediterranean waters, but will remain in Scotland for repairs.
Meanwhile, back in December, the same "Times" rather sarcastically noted that the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has been spending more time in various ports for repairs since its commissioning in 2019 than it performs tasks at sea, however, it is expected that in the current navigation season the ship will finally be repaired completed.
British media previously noted that, according to the plans of the naval command, the two aircraft carriers were supposed to replace each other alternately every eight months, but currently only the Queen Elizabeth can be used in foreign missions. As for the Prince of Wales, almost from the very moment of launching, since the beginning of 2020, the ship has constantly faced a number of problems, such as a leak in the engine room. Other problems were also periodically detected.
It should be emphasized that HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest warship built for the Royal British Navy. This aircraft carrier can carry up to forty military aircraft on its board. This ship received its official name on July 4, 2014 and entered service with the British Imperial Navy in 2017. The aircraft carrier "Queen Elizabeth" is designed for landing and take-off of fighters and vertical take-off aircraft, such as the F-35 fighter jet adopted by NATO countries, as well as the Merlin helicopter. In addition, the aircraft carrier is equipped with a long-range radar detection system and anti-submarine weapons.
From numerous such reports, it follows that the most powerful combat vessels of the leading NATO countries, designed to "restrain possible aggressive aspirations of Russia," are far from being in perfect condition and may face serious problems if they perform real combat tasks. In November 2020, the British Ministry of Defense reported that one of the F-35 fighters based on board the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth crashed during a routine work mission in the Mediterranean Sea.
