UK may cancel aircraft carrier, 88 F-35 JSFs to balance defence budget

Britain's defence chiefs are mulling options to scrap one of two large aircraft carriers already ordered, or convert one of them into a helicopter/drone carrier and cancel its component of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in a move that could result in savings of billions of pounds and help balance the defence budget.

An artiste's impression of the Queen Elizabeth Class carrier

The Royal Navy currently has two aircraft carriers on order – the HMS Queen Elizabeth (after which the class is named) and the HMS Prince of Wales, which are expected to enter service in 2016 and 2018.

These new Carrier Vessel Future (CVF) aircraft carriers will displace 65,000 tonnes - three times more than the current 20,000 tonne Invincible class carriers.

Options under consideration by the UK MoD include having just one carrier operating the Lockheed joint strike fighters, with the second, more basic, ship, being used only as a platform for helicopters and possibly unmanned drones equipped with missiles and cameras.

The number of joint strike fighters to be flown from the carriers could be slashed from a proposed 138 to about 50, resulting in savings of more than £7bn.

The two proposed carriers, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, due to enter service in 2016, and the HMS Prince of Wales, to follow in 2018, are already running £1bn over budget. The original estimated cost was £3.9bn.