When it comes to bringing considerable firepower
to a distant battlefield nothing beats an aircraft carrier as the most dominant
tool of power projection. Capable of transporting a certain amount of aircraft
freely across the globe, only dependeding replenishment at sea to sustain its
operations, the aircraft carrier allows countries to execute airstrikes almost
wherever and whenever they want or need it. Unlike aircraft based on land, Carrier-based
aircraft operate from a secure base at sea only to be threatened by the naval
assets of an opponent it is always protected by a carrier battle group that is
tailor made to give a carrier the maximum of protection.
Of all the aircraft carrier forcess in the
world the US Navy is the most dominant. It operates 10 nuclear powered Nimitz
class carriers, each capable of transporting and operating the amount of aircraft
that is equal in size to a medium sized country’s air force.
As aircraft carriers are the most dominant
tools of power projection it is no wonder that every serious navy tries to
build and operate them. India and Russia are both long term carrier operators
and China has made its successful first steps in operating a carrier and plans
to build more of them. So in light of established and rising sea powers, each
with the tools of projecting power and influence across large areas of the
world, what are the carrier forces the European Union (EU) can count on and in
extension, the carrier forces that the EU can use in NATO operations.?
United Kingdom
Once the world’s biggest navies, the Royal Navy
has been suffering from major budget cutbacks. At the moment, the UK has no
operational carriers in its service. It is however currently building two
conventional powered carriers of the Queen Elizabeth class. With 65.000 tons,
these ships are at the limit of tonnage for conventional powered carrier
although the design has taken in account that over her service life the carrier
could be remodeled and have a displacement of 70.600 tons. The 70.600 ton
displacement puts this carrier at the limit of what can be conventionally
powered without reducing its speed too much. Anything bigger would be insufficient
powered and move to slow to create enough wind over the decks to launch
aircraft, unless a nuclear propulsion plant is installed.
The first ship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth was
officially named on the 4th of July 2014 and will be commissioned in
2017. The second ship, the HMS Prince of Wales, will be commissioned in 2020.
Both ships will have a planned carrier air
group of 36 F-35’s and 4 helicopters. However, delivery of the F-35 to the
Royal Navy is only scheduled to happen in 2020 so both carriers will only
become fully operational in 2020 and off course that is if the F-35 program isn’t
cancelled due to its high cost and many drawbacks and failures.
France
Of all the EU’s nations, France is the only
nation with a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and indeed the only nation in
the world besides the United States to operate a nuclear powered carrier. The
Charles De Gaulle has a displacement of 42.000 tons, making her very small for
a nuclear powered carrier that could sustain a weight of 3 times more. Launched
in 1994 and commissioned in 2001 this carrier has a lifetime that can span into
the 2040-2050 time-frame before the carrier is worn down and forced to be
decommissioned.
The carrier air group of this carrier is composed
of 28 – 40 aircraft, depending on what the composition of the air group is. The
main fighter aircraft on board is the Rafale, backed up by E-2C Hawkeye aircraft.
France normally operated two aircraft carriers
in order to make sure that at least one was available when the other underwent
repairs or modernization programs. As of 2013 however, the French government
decided to scrap the plans for building a second aircraft carrier due to the
high costs and budget restraints.
 |
| Charles de Gaulle, the EU's only nuclear aircraft carrier: Layout of flight and hangar deck |
Italy
Italy operates 2 small carriers, the Giuseppe
Garibaldi and the Cavour.
The Giuseppe Garibaldi is STOVL carrier with a
displacement of 14.000 tons and commissioned in 1985. Her carrier air group is
composed of 18 AV-8B Harrier aircraft.
The Cavour was commissioned in 2009, has a
displacement of up to 30.000 tons fully loaded. Her carrier air group is
smaller in size then the one of the Giuseppe Garibaldi with only 8 AV-8B Harrier aircraft or 15 F-35B’s in
addition to her 10 helicopters. Although termed as a carrier, the Cavour can
also double as a landing platform helicopter (LPH) amphibious warship. If given
a 40 to 50 year lifespan for a capital ship undergoing proper maintenance then
Italy could operate the Giuseppe Garibaldi until the 2025-2035 time-frame and
the Cavour until the 2050-2060 time-frame.
Spain
Spain only operates one ship that can function
as an aircraft carrier, the Juan Carlos I. Although in design the ship is an
amphibious assault ship, her ski-jump ramp on the bow enables it to operate
STOVL aircraft. Conventionally powered
and with a displacement of 26.000 tons this ship can serve as a light aircraft
carrier with a carrier wing of 10 to 12 AV-8B Harrier aircraft or F-35B’s in
addition to 10 helicopters. As the ship has been commissioned in 2010, it will
be operational, if probably maintained, for the 2040-2050 time-frame as its projected
lifespan is envisioned as maximum 40 years.
The Juan Carlos I design has been opted by
Turkey as the basis to build an amphibious warship for the Turkish Navy.
Although Turkey plans to use the ship as an amphibious assault ship to assist
in humanitarian ops, it would give Turkey also a platform to operate aircraft
from should the circumstances require it. In this case, NATO could count on one
more carrier in its alliance that operates in European waters
Conclusion
Only 4 nations are capable of giving the EU the
tools for projection power with aircraft carriers and unlike their massive US
counterparts these aircraft carriers are small in comparison. Of the 6 carriers
in total, only 1 is nuclear powered and 2 are not available until 2020, giving
the EU at the moment only 4 small carriers. Cuts in defense budgets among the
EU member states have deprived the EU of deploying hard power when it is
needed. This was seen clearly during the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya where
only the Charles de Gaulle and the Cavour operated as EU carriers.
Due to the resurgence of Russia at the EU's
borders, resulting in the Ukraine crisis, and other nearby crises in the
Mediterranean such as Libya and Syria, as well as Iraq further into the Middle
east and a potential showdown in the Arctic, the EU finds itself in a weak
position to back up its military power. Like all European defense projects and
the creation of a EU army, the creation of a EU navy will be very troublesome
and will face many delays. However, should the EU succeed in creating a EU navy
it will be one that finds itself deprived of the hard power tools such as
carriers to project its power across the oceans.
|
Country
|
Ships
|
Aircraft
|
|
UK
|
HMS Queen Elizabeth
HMS Prince of Wales |
36 F-35B
36 F-35B |
|
France
|
Charles de Gaulle
|
20-40 Rafale
|
|
Italy
|
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Cavour |
18 AV-8B Harrier aircraft
8 AV-8B Harrier aircraft or 15 F-35B |
|
Spain
|
Juan Carlos I
|
10-12 AV-8B Harrier aircraft
|
|
TOTAL
|
6 carriers
|
72-87 F-35B
28-38 AV-8B Harrier aircraft
20-40 Rafale
|
Table I: Overview of the EU aircraft carriers and their carrier air groups
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