Rise and shine
Senior Royal Navy officers say Queen Elizabeth will have protection as it heads to Atlantic for sea trials
BRITAIN’S new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth needs protection from a “frightening” Russian threat as it crosses the Atlantic for sea trials, senior Royal Navy officers have said.
Commodore Andrew Betton, the commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, said that the ship would have protection from other Royal Navy warships in the task group as it headed to the east coast of the US.
He added that the Navy’s Type 45 air defence destroyers, which have been beset with propulsion issues which re- quire an engine refit, will be repaired and ready to support the Queen Elizabeth by the time it embarks on its first operational deployment in 2021.
Cdre Betton said: “We need to protect the ship from any threats that may be out there. It is the Atlantic, it is broadly home waters, but we do need to maintain our readiness clearly.”
Asked if there was any concern about a Russian submarine tailing the carrier and what protection was to be provided, Cdre Betton said: “Russian submarines are more active in the North Atlantic than they have been since the Cold War and we take that very seriously. The ship will be well protected. We will seek to operate professionally and within the standard laws of the high seas.”
Cdre Betton would not be drawn on whether a Royal Navy submarine would be deployed to protect the task group heading to the US to carry out flight trials with the F-35B fighter jet.
Captain Jerry Kyd, the carrier’s commanding officer, said: “The increase in Russian activity in the last couple of years is frightening and for national security reasons it just underlines why we need to maintain a balanced strong and capable fleet. It’s been quite eyewatering what we have seen in recent years.”
Defending the Type 45 destroyers, Cdre Betton added: “They have had propulsion and power generation issues but those have now been sufficiently understood that the get-well package will enable the platform to reach its full potential in the long term.”
Cdre Betton explained that the Royal Navy was used to working with other navies from allied countries to ensure mutual protection. He said: “If you are going to the highest threat environments at range, you are likely to wish to share the burden with international partners and be part of a coalition effort. There are choices there. The Royal Navy has sufficient assets to provide sufficient robust protection should it choose to. It depends how long you need to keep doing it.”
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “Whilst we do not comment on specific force protection measures, we have the largest navy in Europe and our cuttingedge carrier can be supported by a host of world class capabilities, including our anti-submarine warships and helicopters, and our fleet of attack submarines – the most powerful in our history.”