Royal Navy in the 21st century
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At the beginning of the 1990s, the Royal Navy was a force designed for the Cold War - with its three ASW aircraft carriers and a force of small, though numerous, frigates and destroyers, its purpose was to search for and destroy Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic. However, the Falklands War (1982) proved a need for the Royal Navy to regain a bluewater capability which, with its resources at the time, would prove difficult. This has been shown even more so with the number of operations the Royal Navy has conducted that have required a carrier to be sent all over the world (the Adriatic for service in Bosnia and Kosovo, off the coast of Sierra Leone, the Persian Gulf in the Gulf War and the War on Terror).
At the same time, the Royal Navy has had to carry out an ever increasing number of committments while at the same time seeing the size of its surface fleet gradually shrink over the period of of twenty years between 1982 and 2002. This has culminated in the decomissioning of HMS Invincible and the retirement of the Sea Harrier, leaving the Royal Navy to make do with the RAF's Harrier GR7 instead.
Therefore, over the course of 1990s and the 2000s, the navy has begun a series of projects to enhance its fleet, with a view to bringing its capabilities into the 21st century and allow it to turn from a North Atlantic, anti-submarine force into a true blue water navy. This however has to be done within the constraints set by a gradually shrinking budget and occassional cutbacks in the surface fleet.
This has lead to the replacing of smaller and more numerous units with fewer, but larger, ones. The main examples of this are the replacing of Type 42 destroyers with Type 45s and the planned replacing of the 20,000 tonne Invincible class aircraft carriers with 65,000 tonne future carriers.
Contents |
Major Fleet Units
The most significant source of power projection available to a navy is the aircraft carrier, and in the Royal Navy this is no exception. However, the three ships of the Invincible class are limited in what they can actually do, due not only to their small size, but also to the capabilities of the main type of aircraft on board - the Sea Harrier. As a consequence, in the Strategic Defence Review of 1998, the British Government announced it would replace the Invincible class with a pair of much larger vessels, in a project that has been designated as 'CVF' (Aircraft Carrier Future). These two ships will displace over 60,000 tonnes and will be some 280 metres long, making them the largest ever operated by the Royal Navy. They will be STOVL carriers, operating the STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, which has been ordered by both the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force to replace the Harrier. It will also operate the Merlin ASW helicopter, and a platform for Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC), among the contenders for which are a modified version of the Merlin, the E-2 Hawkeye or a modified version of the V-22 Osprey.
Since the mid 1980s, the Royal Navy has been looking at ways of replacing the small and increasingly obsolete Type 42 air defence destroyers, which have been in service since the early 1970s. After two failed collaborative efforts - the NFR-90 project, a joint NATO venture that Britain withdrew from in 1989, and Project Horizon, a scheme in association with France and Italy, which failed in 1999 - the government announced that a new class of destroyer, the Type 45 would replace the Type 42. Type 45 will displace approximately 7350 tonnes, which is considerably larger than its predecessor, and will be the largest combat ships (except aircraft carriers and amphibious vessels) built since the Tiger class of the mid 1950s. For its primary mission, it will be equipped with the PAAMS integrated anti-aircraft system. As with the Type 42, the Type 45 will also have a limited anti-surface/anti-submarine role, being equipped with a 4.5in gun and a helicopter, which will either be Lynx or Merlin. Although as built it will not be fitted with anti-ship or land attack missiles, its size will allow upgrades to be made if required, giving it an enhanced general warfare role. It was recently announced that the crew of a Type 45 will be in the region of 190 members, around one hundred less than the Type 42. Together with the larger size of the vessel, this will allow better living quarters. The first unit of the class, HMS Daring was launched in February 2006.
At present, the majority of the navy's escorts are Type 22 and Type 23 frigates. Although these are capable units, they are, as with the rest of the combat fleet, designed for the Royal Navy's Cold War role. For the bluewater missions they are being asked to perform, they are not as well equipped as they could be, and their small size makes equipment upgrades difficult. Work was begun on Future Surface Combatant (FSC), to replace the Type 22 and 23; however, the project suffered de facto cancellation in late 2004. After the cancellation of FSC project, three other projects were considered in its place, they are the Medium Sized Vessel Derivative, the versatile Surface Combatant, and the Global Corvette. It has been suggested that the MSVD would a multi role variant of the Type 45 destroyer. Also, it is possible that a mixture of all three types could be procured, in a "family" of warship classes, but no decision regarding these projects has been announced.
Amphibious Units
In 1990, the Royal Navy's amphibious forces were still centred around the venerable Fearless class LPDs, both of which were commissioned in the 1960s. The end of the Cold War saw a re-evaluation of the navy's amphibious role - not only were replacements for the Fearless class required, but increasingly helicopter assault capabilities were recognised as vital, capabilities which the navy had not had since the 1970s. An unsuccessful attempt to use RFA Argus in this role re-emphasised the need for a specialist vessel, and so HMS Ocean was ordered in 1993. The ship's hull form is based on that of the Invincible class, but she was constructed to commercial specifications and to a modular design (meaning the ship was assembled from pre-constructed blocks). Commissioned in 1998, Ocean is the first purpose built helicopter carrier in the Royal Navy. She has space for an Embarked Military Force (EMF) of up to 800 troops and their associated equipment, or 500 troops plus up to 40 light vehicles and 6 field guns. Her air group is tailored to whichever operational situation is called for, but would typically include up to 12 Sea King transport helicopters, supported by up to 6 Apache battlefield attack helicopters. However, the flight deck is rated to accommodate helicopters the size of Chinook. The harrier jump jet (planned to be replaced by the JCA in about 2018) can also operate from her flight deck if the need arose. Troops can also be transported off the ship by one of four LCVPs that are fitted.
In 1996, the Government placed an order for a pair of ships to directly replace HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid; these two ships were given the names HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. In preparation for the entry into service of these two vessels, Fearless was withdrawn in 2002 (Intrepid had been non-operational since 1991), being replaced by Albion in 2003; Bulwark commissioned in 2004. Both ships have an overload capacity of 700 troops, with the standard being just over 300. Up to six Challenger 2 main battle tanks, or 30 smaller tracked vehicles, can be accommodated on the vehicle decks - these can be removed by one of the LCUs located in the stern docking well. This can also accommodate an LCAC. Another four small LCVPs, similar to those carried by Ocean, are also carried, and there is a flight deck (though no hangar) which can support either two medium lift (Merlin or Sea King) or one heavy lift (Chinook) helicopter.
Ocean, Albion and Bulwark form the core of the amphibious force. They will be supported in their mission by the LSDs of the 'Bay' class. These ships, operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, will replace four of the elderly LSLs of the 'Sir' class. The new ships will resemble the LPDs in having a large flight deck and stern docking well, with a capacity of over 300 troops. In addition, a single 'Sir' class unit, Sir Bedivere, which has been modernised, will be retained for at least ten years.
Although the units mentioned will form the core of an amphibious task force, additional capacity will be provided in the form of six roll on/roll off vessels for strategic transport (as opposed to direct amphibious assault). In addition, the three ships of the Invincible class have a secondary role as an LPH; it is rumoured that one of the vessels will be permanently converted to this mission once CVF enters service.
Hydrographic Squadron
The Navy's surveying service has responsibility for surveying and charting the oceans, the information from which goes into the numerous Admiralty produced charts and publications that are used all over the world. As a consequence, the work that the service does must be as accurate as possible, which requires the best equipment available.
The Royal Navy has a mandate to provide support to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which comes in the form of the dedicated Antarctic Patrol Ship. However, in 1990, HMS Endurance was over 30 years old and, having been repaired following collision with an iceberg, was found to be unsafe to return to the Antarctic. The vessel that was chosen to replace her was chartered from a Norwegian shipping company and commissioned as HMS Polar Circle. After a successful deployment, it was decided to purchase the ship outright, and she was renamed HMS Endurance in honor of her predecessor. Endurance's mission is twofold; to assist the BAS in charting and surveying the waters around the Antarctic, a task for which she is well suited thanks to her strengthened bow, and to provide a semi-permanent naval presence in the South Atlantic in support of the Atlantic Patrol Task (South) deployment.
The navy's ocean going survey needs were served by the four ships of the Hecla class, all built in the 1960s and 70s. Two were paid off in the late 1980s, while HMS Hecla left the service in 1997. She was replaced by the brand new survey vessel HMS Scott. Scott is the largest ocean survey vessel in Western Europe and, at over 13,000 tonnes, the seventh largest vessel in the Royal Navy (only the three carriers and three amphibious vessels displace more). Despite replacing four ships with only one, the Scott is able to spend over 300 days a year at sea, thanks to its crew rotation system, whereby the total complement of 63 is divided into three teams - two man the ship, while the third remains ashore on leave or in training and rotating back on board when the ship returns.
In addition to the ocean survey vessel, the navy retains a single coastal survey ship, HMS Roebuck, which performs the same tasks on the UK continental shelf as HMS Scott does in deep ocean. However, the remainder of the survey fleet has since been replaced by the two brand new multi-role ships of the Echo class, which commissioned in 2002 and 2003. HMS Echo and HMS Enterprise build on the success of the Scott by utilising similar methods of operation and technology. These ships are joined in service by the smallest commissioned vessel in the RN, the survey launch HMS Gleaner.
Patrol Forces
The navy operates patrol vessels primarily in the role of fisheries protection and guarding British interests in the North Sea. These tasks were primarily undertaken by the 'Island' class, which entered service in the late 1970s. They were supported by the two larger vessels of the 'Castle' class. However, as time went on, it became clear that the age and small size of the 'Island' class was counting against them; so, in 1997, a decision was taken to replace them. An order for three much larger offshore patrol vessels was placed in 2001. The three ships of the 'River' class, HMS Severn, HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne (named after three of the main rivers in England), were commissioned between 2002 and 2003. They have a large cargo deck and 25 tonne capacity crane aft, which allows them to be fitted for various roles including disaster relief, fire-fighting and rescue work. On Mersey and Severn, this will be fitted as a flight deck for medium helicopters, giving them facilities equal to the 'Castle' class. Unusually, the three River class ships are owned by Vosper Thorneycroft, and leased to the Royal Navy until 2007, when the MoD can return the ships to VT, purchase them outright or extend the lease.
In 2005, construction of HMS Clyde began; this will be a modified 'River' class vessel designed to replace the two 'Castle' class vessels as the Falkland Islands guardship. This will be the first naval vessel built by the shipbuilding firm Vosper Thornycroft at their new facility in Portsmouth. She was launched on 14 June 2006 in Portsmouth Naval Base by VT Group shipbuilders. She was named in an elaborate ceremony in Portsmouth Naval Base on 7th September 2006. She is expected to be formally accepted into the fleet in October 2006 when she will conduct rigorous sea trials.
Submarines
In the early 1990s, the Royal Navy's submarine force was already in the process of significant upgrade - the Trafalgar class SSNs, with their state of the art, ultra quiet pump-jet propulsion system, were still entering service; the brand new Upholder class conventional submarines were on the verge of being commissioned, while the first of the Vanguard class SSBNs was close to completion. However, the Upholder class were decommissioned after the 1993 defence review, and all four units were sold to the Royal Canadian Navy, leaving the Royal Navy all nuclear. Today, the modernisation of the Royal Navy's submarine force centres on the Astute Class SSNs and the Swiftsure & Trafalgar Update Final Phase (S&TUFP). In 1997, an order was placed for three units of the Astute class, which was designed as the SSN replacement for the Swiftsure class, with an option for a further two. The new boats will be larger and quieter than the existing SSNs. However, under the Strategic Defence Review, the five Astute class boats will replace five unmodernised Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarines. S&TUFP will see the remaining boats of the Swiftsure and Trafalgar classes upgraded, giving them similar combat capabilities to the Astute class.
Fleet Air Arm
Along with the aircraft carriers, the major instrument of power projection is the Carrier Air Group. Clearly, the larger the air group, the more tasks it can perform; however, this is limited by the size of the carrier. The Invincible class, because of its small size, has only a limited capacity, and is only capable of operating STOVL aircraft, the Harrier GR7/GR9 and the Sea Harrier. The Sea Harrier was an immensely capable and adaptable platform, with a proven combat record going back to the Falklands War. The upgrade it received in the early 1990s to the FA2 standard allowed it to achieve even greater potential, which has again been proven in the Balkans and the Gulf. However, as of 2006 the Sea Harrier has been withdrawn from service, with fixed wing flying from the carriers the sole responsibility of the Harrier GR9. This has seen the two front line Sea Harrier squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm converting to the GR9, as part of the continued evolution of the Joint Force Harrier concept. The Harrier's eventual replacement in both the RAF and the FAA is the F-35 Lightning II. The Joint Strike Fighter will be a significant improvement over the Harrier, in terms of speed, range and weapon load. The JSF comes in CTOL, CATOBAR and STOVL variants - as the Harrier replacement, both the RN and the RAF have chosen the STOVL version, with CVF being designed thus as a STOVL carrier.
The anti-surface/anti-submarine mission remains the purview of rotary aircraft; in small ships this is the updated Mk8 version of the Lynx. However, in the carriers, and in later frigates, the larger Merlin helicopter is used - this has replaced the venerable Sea King in the ASW mission. The Sea King remains in the commando assault mission from HMS Ocean, although replacement with the Merlin is likely.
Merlin is also being touted as a replacement for Sea King in the Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (formerly Airborne Early Warning) mission. However, the limitations of using a helicopter in this role are well documented - endurance is limited, service ceiling is low and vibrations from the rotors may cause distortion. Therefore, two other concepts have been put forward:
- A MASC version of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft
- An updated version of the E-2 Hawkeye aircraft
The V-22 would be an attractive option given the STOVL configuration of CVF, as it combines the VTOL aspects of a helicopter with the endurance of a fixed wing aircraft - indeed, the Osprey is another contender to replace the Sea King in the assault mission. The E-2 is already in service with the French and US Navies; the problem with the aircraft is its CATOBAR configuration - although it has been proven that it can launch successfully from a ski-jump, it would still require arrestor wires for landing, which would force CVF to be refitted to a STOBAR configuration - although the design chosen does name provision for this. However, it has advantages over the V-22 again in terms of endurance and ceiling; because its cabin is pressurised, it can operate at greater altitude than the Osprey, extending the range of its radar. However, the cut in budget for the MASC programme led to both the Osprey and Hawkeye options being dropped in mid 2005.
Analysis
The Royal Navy is evolving - it has begun a transition from an Atlantic based, ASW force back into a true Blue water navy, with capabilities it has not possessed since the 1960s and 1970s. Perhaps the realisation that this was the case started with the Falklands War - had this not occurred, the Royal Navy would have lost one of its aircraft carriers and both of its major amphibious units without replacement. These were proposals mooted which with hindsight, would have proven disastrous. However today, there are still difficult decisions to be taken, some have already been made, and indeed for the better. The operational successes of the three Invincible Class carriers in recent years have shown that aircraft carriers will always be a vital requisite for any global naval power - and the new Future Carrier Project will deliver vessels with over twice the displacement of the current class, boasting a far larger airgroup, which will itself possess an infinitely greater operational capability compared to that currently available. Assigned to defend these new aircraft carriers will be the Type 45 destroyers, again, over twice as large as the Type 42 destroyers they are replacing, and with a superior operational capability inherent in the PAAMS Missile System. Hopefully, this considerable step change in platform capability will be maintained in the successor to the Future Surface Combatant, which is intended to eventually replace the Type 22 and Type 23 frigates as the mainstay of the future surface fleet. The Amphibious Warfare Force has not only seen the venerable Fearless Class replaced by the recent commissioning of the Albion Class LPDs, but has also been significantly enhanced with the addition of HMS Ocean. This is in conjunction with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary procurement of the new "Bay" Class LSD(A)s which are significantly more capable than the "Sir" Class LSLs they will partially replace. The massive capability upgrades to the Amphibious Warfare Force will establish it as the largest and most capable in the World - the United States Navy excepted. This new wave of Naval Procurement programmes, which includes such projects as the addition of the new Astute Class SSNs, and upgrades to the Trafalgar Class SSNs, should re-assert the Royal Navy's position as a true Blue water navy and see it retain its position as the second most powerful naval force in the world for the forseeable future.
Addendum
In July 2004, the Government announced a restructuring of the Armed Forces as part of its new Defence White Paper, Delivering Security in a Changing World, confirming that the number of Type 45s expected to be ordered would be reduced from 12 to 8 units, while the two attack submarines due to be decommissioned would not be directly replaced, taking the SSN fleet down from 10 to 8. In addition, the existing escort fleet will lose six units, the three oldest Type 42 destroyers, HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff and HMS Newcastle, which will be paid off earlier than expected, and three Type 23 frigates, HMS Norfolk, HMS Marlborough and HMS Grafton, as well as a further six mine counter measures units, with a total of 1,500 job losses. In the same speech Geoff Hoon announced that the RAF will receive 16 BAE Nimrod MRA4s, the UK's long range maritime patrol aircraft. This is reduced from an anticipated order of 18. This was justified by Ministry of Defence policy that it is not the number of platforms that is important but the capability achieved by the force as a whole, however it remains to be seen whether the savings from the measures listed will be invested to improve the remaining units or even stay within the procurement budget.
Glossary
- ASW - Anti-Submarine Warfare
- CATOBAR - Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery
- CTOL - Conventional Take Off and Landing
- LCAC - Landing Craft, Air Cushion
- LCU - Landing Craft, Utility
- LCVP - Landing Craft, Vehicle Personnel
- LPD - Landing Platform, Dock
- LPH - Landing Platform, Helicopter
- LSD - Landing Ship, Dock
- LSL - Landing Ship, Logistic
- PAAMS - Principal Anti-Aircraft Missile System
- SSBN - Ship Submerged, Ballistic Nuclear
- SSN - Ship Submerged, Nuclear
- STOBAR - Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery
- STOVL - Short Take Off/Vertical Landing
- VTOL - Vertical Take Off and Landing
See also
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Royal Navy