Navy’s two aircraft carriers don’t have enough supply ships to stock them with food and ammunition

Navy’s two aircraft carriers do not have enough supply ships to keep them stocked with food and ammunition, experts warn

  • Just one vessel is able to supply the Navy’s biggest ever warships on operations 
  • Labour’s Meg Hillier said the Navy could now end up with a ‘hollowed-out’ force  
  • Officials are now seeking new ways to deploy the carriers, possibly using drones 

The Royal Navy’s two £6.4billion aircraft carriers do not have enough supply ships to keep them stocked with ammunition and food, the Whitehall spending watchdog has warned.

The Navy has just one vessel that can supply its biggest ever warships – the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales – on operations, the National Audit Office said.

Three supply ships are ‘crucial’ in order for the force to operate, the damning report found. 

Labour’s Meg Hillier, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said the Navy could end up with a ‘hollowed-out’ force. 

The Royal Navy’s ability to operate its two new aircraft carriers may be severely restricted due to a lack of support vessels to keep them supplied, the Whitehall spending watchdog has warned. Above, a UK F-35 Lightning jet is pictured on HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time

The NAO report also warned that the carrier force’s Crowsnest airborne radar system – which forms a crucial part of its defences – is running 18 months late. 

This will further diminish its capabilities in its first two years, it said.

Officials are seeking new ways to deploy the carriers, possibly using drones rather than a frigate and a destroyer in support. 

The MoD welcomed the NAO’s acknowledgement that progress has been made.

The MoD has said it expects to meet its target of declaring an ‘initial operating capability’ for Carrier Strike with a fully-trained Lightning II squadron of up to 12 jets by December 2020, albeit with only a ‘basic’ radar capability.

However, the NAO said it faced a ‘tight timetable’ if it was to achieve its next milestone of developing a ‘full operating capability’ – with two Lighting II squadrons operating from one of the carriers – by 2023.

It said the MoD had long been aware the lack of support ships would restrict the force’s ‘operational freedom’ but had yet to come up with a solution.

A competition to build three new vessels was scrapped due to concerns about value for money, delaying their introduction by up to three years.

It was now uncertain whether the first of the ships would be ready in time for 2028 when the one existing ship is due to be taken out of service.

At the same time the MoD had failed to developed an airlift capacity to support the force and was relying on ageing Merlin Mk 4 helicopters – which were to supposed to go out of service at the end of 2021 – to ferry people and and equipment to the ships.

One of four operational F-35B Lightning Jets takes off from HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first Carrier Sea training. The National Audit Office (NAO) said the Navy has just one supply ship able to keep the Carrier Strike force stocked with food and ammunition while on operations

One of four operational F-35B Lightning Jets takes off from HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first Carrier Sea training. The National Audit Office (NAO) said the Navy has just one supply ship able to keep the Carrier Strike force stocked with food and ammunition while on operations

The NAO said the delay to Crowsnest – due to failure by a sub contractor, Thales, to meet its commitments – meant the initial contracted capability would not be in place until September 2021, with the full capability delayed to May 2023.

While the MoD had originally planned to acquire 138 Lightning IIs, to sustain Carrier Strike to the 2060s, it has so far only committed to buying 48.

Since 2017, the approved cost of the Lightning II project has risen from £9.1 billion to £10.5 billion, due to capability upgrades, with further increases expected.

The MoD is now planning to review the number of aircraft it needs as part of the Government’s integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy.

However, the NAO said any reduction would act as a further constraint on its ability to use the Carrier Strike force.

Overall, it warned the MoD may not have made sufficient provision in future years’ budgets to reflect the full costs of operating the carriers.

Ms Hillier said: ‘The Ministry of Defence has lofty ambitions for the carriers but hasn’t put its money where its mouth is. Worryingly, it still doesn’t know the full cost of supporting and operating Carrier Strike.

‘It must now ensure that the three frontline commands involved sing from the same hymn sheet. Otherwise, the Royal Navy will be stuck with a hollowed-out capability and unable to satisfy expectations.’