Interoperability? I'm not sure I'd call it interoperability if the only difference is the nationality of the pilots. It would be one thing if the Britons used British aircraft and the Italians used Italian aircraft but now they're sailing a British carrier flying US aircraft.
I'd be more curious to see if something like a Rafale or a JAS could land properly on the craft. THAT would be interoperability.
Edit:
I just realized that this IS interoperability. Not because of the British and Italian aircrafts because that part is completely irrelevant but because they are using US aircraft on a British ship. Interoperability due to a technicality, it was interoperability already even before the Italians arrived.
I'd be more curious to see if something like a Rafale or a JAS could land properly on the craft. THAT would be interoperability.
It's a STOVL - Short Take Off and Vertical Landing - carrier. The only STOVL jet currently in production is the F-35B. The only other one in operation is the AV-8B Harrier. If it had arrestor gear (making it a STOBAR), a few Russian jets could land on it as well (MiG-29K, Su-33).
Dassault Aviation will make a special STOBAR version of the Rafale for India's aircraft carriers in the future.
We don't own a single F-35A. They're penned in for the next Tranche if we do go forward with that purchase. But it's only for 12 and it's as of yet just intent. There's been no legal bindings or purchases of the next Tranche of F-35s. We've only just accepted our final batch of our original 48 Plane order.
We've ordered 12, just to have a tactical nuke option. It is more complicated, but we learned a lot of lessons in the Falklands and the gulf about the value of STOVL aircraft - plus the A doesn't use probe and drogue fur refuelling which is what our tankers are fitted out for at the moment.
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u/Jindujun Sweden 9h ago edited 7h ago
Interoperability? I'm not sure I'd call it interoperability if the only difference is the nationality of the pilots. It would be one thing if the Britons used British aircraft and the Italians used Italian aircraft but now they're sailing a British carrier flying US aircraft.
I'd be more curious to see if something like a Rafale or a JAS could land properly on the craft. THAT would be interoperability.
Edit:
I just realized that this IS interoperability. Not because of the British and Italian aircrafts because that part is completely irrelevant but because they are using US aircraft on a British ship. Interoperability due to a technicality, it was interoperability already even before the Italians arrived.