A move is under way in Great Britain to abolish the Royal Navy's air arm. At the moment there is not much to dissolve: the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) currently has two combat squadrons with fixed-wing
aircraft flying Royal Air Force Harrier GR.9 jump-jets-with both Navy and RAF pilots. The GR-series Harriers are ground-attack/reconnaissance aircraft. There are a number of Navy utility and training aircraft, plus some 140 helicopters of various types.1
The Navy also operates three Invincible-class STOVL (short takeoff/vertical landing) carriers, one of which is usually fully operational, but with few aircraft on board.
The RAF Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Tropy, has urged that his service take over all fixed-wing aircraft operations. Realizing that such a move would be controversial, Sir Glenn said that such consolidation of air power was "inevitable," adding: "We have got to kill some sacred cows to make ourselves more efficient."2
The Royal Navy gave up its last fixed-wing combat aircraft in 2006. The Ministry of Defence had announced plans to retire all of the Navy's Sea Harriers by 2006 even though the successor, the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), would not be available until 2012 at the earliest. That decision was made to reduce maintenance and support costs by having both the FAA and RAF operate the same GR-series Harriers, abandoning fighter-type aircraft in the carriers until the JSF becomes available.
Earlier, on 1 April 2000, the Joint Force Harrier (JFH) was established to combine the two FAA Sea Harrier squadrons with the two RAF Harrier squadrons under a new command, No. 3 Group within the RAF Strike Command. At the time a naval officer, Rear-Admiral Iain Henderson, was named the first commanding officer of No. 3 Group, which also operated the RAF's Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft and Sea King search-and-rescue helicopters. Henderson additionally served as Flag Officer Maritime Aviation, the nominal head of the FAA. Subsequently, all four JFH squadrons have converted to GR.7 and GR.9 Harriers, with nine aircraft per squadron and mixed-service pilots and ground crews.
When the Navy deploys its squadrons overseas or aboard a carrier they are designated as the Naval Strike Wing. Today, with elements of No. 800 and No. 801 naval air squadrons, the wing is forward deployed in Afghanistan to provide close air support to British troops.
Sir Glenn told the Telegraph newspaper that, "resources and finance drive you to rationalisation. I think over time you will see further rationalisation. I think you will find over time that the air force . . . will end up doing aviation." He continued, "The general public demand and deserve value for money and if that means we have to rationalise, that is what we have got to do."
JFH jump-jets-from naval or RAF squadrons-are rarely embarked in carriers, as much of the force is committed to the support of British ground troops in Afghanistan. (Britain ended six years of combat operations in Iraq on 30 April 2009.)
The Royal Navy pins its hope for a future air arm on the two 65,000-ton carriers now under contract, and the F-35B variant of the American JSF. The keel for the first carrier is to be laid shortly. The F-35B is the STOVL variant of the JSF, which will also be flown by the U.S. Marine Corps.
The two carriers-to be named Queen Elizabeth II and Prince of Wales-have had a long and convoluted history. The Royal Navy has stoically accepted ship and personnel reductions to ensure the viability of the aircraft carrier program. But with Britain suffering under the world-wide economic crisis, their fate is still under review, with other service chiefs and others outside of the Defence establishment calling them relics of the Cold War. Ironically, Britain's highly effective carrier force of the Cold War was often labeled a relic of World War II thinking.
In a further historic irony, from 1917 until 1937 the Fleet Air Arm was subordinate to the RAF, which had been established on 1 April 1917 to merge Britain's air arms. When the Navy at last regained control of ship-based aviation in 1937 (but not land-based maritime aviation), it was in such poor condition that during World War II the Fleet Air Arm had to rely largely on American-built aircraft as well as acquiring 38 American-built escort carriers.
Should the RAF absorb naval aviation, as is being advocated by Sir Glenn and others, it is highly likely that one carrier and possibly the F-35B procurement would be cancelled. If the latter occurs, the single carrier-or even two ships-would operate RAF Harriers for perhaps another decade, and then, in reality, become helicopter/amphibious assault ships. In turn, the larger Navy helicopters would be shifted to the RAF while the FAA-if it survives-would only have helicopters assigned to destroyers and frigates.
Thus, after more than 70 years as a principal component of the Royal Navy, Britain's naval air arm may be closing up shop.
1. In addition, the Royal Marines fly about 35 Sea King helicopters and a few utility helicopters.
2. Quoted in Sean Rayment, Telegraph (London), 7 June 2009.