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Re:How not to build a ship: the USS Ford by Animats on Wednesday June 07, 2017 @08:13PM (#14510930)
There was a plan for an upgrade, removing the ski-jumps and adding an EMALS.[1] This would allow using F-18 aircraft, among others. But that didn't work out.

[1] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/06/defence_committee_ca...

Re:How not to build a ship: the USS Ford by rjsw on Wednesday June 07, 2017 @08:38PM (#14511034)
The author of your link isn't taken seriously by anyone.

Adding EMALS to the UK carriers would only be useful for future naval UAVs. The UK really doesn't want to have to keep pilots current at doing conventional deck landings, it is too expensive and you can't rapidly change the mix of F-35 and helicopters on each carrier.

Re:How not to build a ship: the USS Ford by Animats on Wednesday June 07, 2017 @09:10PM (#14511157)
Can the UK afford all those F-35s?
Re:How not to build a ship: the USS Ford by rjsw on Thursday June 08, 2017 @11:11AM (#14514705)
The sticker price of the F-35B isn't the real cost to the UK as it manufactures a fairly large part of it. The sticker price of the F-18E/F is what would have to be paid plus the cost of a number of T-45s for training plus the cost of replacing the results of a steady stream of airframe losses during normal use.

The expectation is that if the new carriers were ever full of F-35s then a fair number would have USMC markings.

Re:How not to build a ship: the USS Ford by __d on Wednesday June 07, 2017 @10:04PM (#14511353)
Can anyone afford those F35's?
Re:How not to build a ship: the USS Ford by cottsak on Wednesday June 07, 2017 @10:34PM (#14511452)
Canada is trying hard to snap out of the insanity of the affordability of the F-35.. but pressures from local contractors tied up in the program are going to make it very hard.