OCTOBER 23, 2023
HMS Prince of Wales headed to the United States in September and has now begun a series of test flights with various aircraft to inform the development of future Royal Navy carrier aviation. Here we cover the first part of the deployment and the start of these trials.
After the setbacks that have plagued HMS Prince of Wales’ entry into service, the long-planned Westlant 23 deployment is finally underway. She was originally expected to undertake this trip in early 2021 but this plan was derailed by a serious internal flood caused by a burst saltwater main in October 2020. The impacts of COVID combined with pressures on the RAF budget conspired to delay the trip until August 2022. The now infamous propellor shaft issue experienced as soon as she left the wall resulted in another postponement of more than a year. After repair in Rosyth, an uneventful Atlantic crossing has proven the propellor shaft repairs to be sound and the ship can look forward to taking over as the RN Fleet Flagship next year.
Having completed the first mission of the deployment, fixed-wing logistic UAS test flying off the coast of Cornwall on 4th September, the ship headed west across the Atlantic. She was replenished by RFA Tideforce before the tanker detached to support the UK Carrier Strike Group in the North Sea. While the RN has both aircraft carriers at sea this Autumn, the RFA only has two operational tankers available right now.
Officers from the USS Donald Cook and Winston S. Churchill joined the carrier for the voyage from Mayport to Norfolk and fully integrated in the ship’s routines.
14 aircrew from USMC 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing qualified to operate from the deck of HMS Prince of Wales. The MV-22 Osprey has a similar payload capacity to the Merlin Mk4 – around 24 fully equipped troops but can carry them higher, faster and further. Ospreys have operated from RN carriers regularly over the last decade (including HMS Illustrious), but it is important for US crews to be familiar with RN flight deck procedures. Ospreys are likely to operate from HMS Prince of Wales during the operational deployment in the Pacific region planned for 2025.
Westlant 23 is not an operational deployment but is focused on developing aviation capability for the carriers through a series of tests and experiments. There are 3 main phases – the first (now completed) is familiarisation flying by various US aircraft types operating from the carrier. In particular the MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor. So far on this trip, aircraft that have operated from the ship include Chinooks, Merlin Mk2, Wildcat, V-22 Osprey, F35-B Lightning, AH-1Z Vipers, UH1 Super Hueys and USCG MH-65E Dolphin helicopters.
The UK is very unlikely to ever be able to afford its own Osprey fleet but it’s important that USMC (MV-22B), USN (CMV-22B) and UASF (CV-22) aircraft are interoperable with the QEC carriers. V-22s conducted day and night flying off the coast of Florida in various configurations so as to define the Ship Helicopter Operating Limits (SHOL). These provide a guide for safe flying from the ship with different loads and in different environmental conditions.
HMS Prince of Wales was officially hosted by Carrier Strike Group 10 and USS George H. W. Bush while alongside in Naval Station Norfolk – the world’s largest naval base. The ship will operate from the base this Autumn and will make several visits. She sailed from Norfolk on 11th October, having embarked a 200-strong test team from the Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) and their equipment.
Phase 2 of the trials will last around 4 weeks and is the key component of the trip. This should see the completion of the third set of F-35B and QEC first-of-class Developmental Flying Trials (DT-3) which were begun on HMS Queen Elizabeth during her Westlant 18 deployment (DT-1 and DT-2).
With the 6 wing pylons and the internal bomb bay filled, the F-35B in ‘beast mode’ can carry a maximum load of 22,000lb of bombs and air-air missiles. (Nearly 3 times the payload of the Harrier GR9).
For this trial, the test aircraft was loaded with inert 500lb Paveway IV laser-guided bombs and inert 1,000lb Paveways in the weapons bay. To date, F-35s have typically been taking off from the 350ft marker on the deck but fully loaded, they need a longer run. This test launch was from the 850 ft marker, the first time a full run-up has been tested on either carrier. The inert bombs were dropped on a US range, the first time an aircraft from HMS Prince of Wales had dropped ordnance.
Further development of the F-35B Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landing (SRVL) manoeuvre is the most anticipated of the DT-3 serials. Under most conditions the F-35B is recovered by hovering at the side of the ship before moving sideways over the deck and descending slowly. During SRVL the aircraft approaches the ship directly from behind at relatively low speed. A combination of thrust from its nozzle and lift-fan and lift created by air over the wings allows it to land with up to 7000lbs greater all up weight (UAW). Without SRVL capability, the F-35B would be forced to ditch some or all of the unused fuel and weapons when returning to the ship. Fuel is a precious resource and munitions are expensive. For example, a single AIM-120D AMRAAM missile costs around £2.4 Million. With limited stocks and such a price tag, not something you want to casually jettison into the sea if unused.
QinetiQ has developed a system of lights, known as the Bedford Array, that is embedded in the centreline of the flight deck and used to guide pilots during SRVL. This has been in development for some years and was proven using a Harrier test aircraft, with a total of 230 SRVL approaches flown on board the French carrier Charles De Gaulle in 2007 and HMS Illustrious in 2009. The Bedford Array is unique to HMS Prince of Wales and has not yet been fitted to her sister ship.
A first tentative SRVL landing was made on HMS Queen Elizabeth in October 2018 but in benign conditions without weapons. 5 years later, the SRVL envelope will be expanded by adding greater loads to the aircraft and by attempting the manoeuvre in high winds and with a wet deck. There is obviously an element of risk involved as there is no arrestor gear and only the landing gear brakes to stop the aircraft. It will be important to define the safe limits for SRVL and the deck space needed as during high-intensity flying operations it will not be viable to clear the flight deck of other aircraft.
The video above briefly shows the first SRVL on HMS Prince of Wales also in very benign conditions, followed by some test flying in high winds. As the ITF pilots and staff push the envelope further, details of progress will doubtless emerge in the coming weeks. In November, a third phase of the deployment will see the first flight of the General Atomics Mojave UAS from an aircraft carrier.