The British fleet lost its only aircraft carrier

October 19 2010 2

The British fleet lost its only aircraft carrier. Royal flagship fleet Ark Royal decided to write off as part of a program to curtail spending on the army.

Previously it was assumed that the ship will be removed from combat duty in 2014, but this will happen much earlier - “almost immediately,” reports Bi-bi-si. This means that the British will not have an 10 aircraft for years, since the new 3D ships of this class have not yet been built.

UK authorities are planning large-scale cuts in defense spending under the new military doctrine, which is awaiting the first revision in 12 years. As part of the program to reduce the cost of the needs of the armed forces during the course of the program, about 7 thousand troops will be dismissed from the army, and civilian personnel of the British Ministry of Defense will also be dismissed. It is also expected to reduce the fleet of the United Kingdom air force fleet, this applies to units equipped with vertical take-off and Sea Harrier-type aircraft. The military budget will be "trimmed" by 7-8%, due to which it is planned to save 856 million euros (750 million pounds sterling).

On October 15, UK Finance Minister George Osborne announced that the construction of two new 3D aircraft carriers, Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales, will continue. It is reported that at least one of them will be able to receive British allies in NATO - France and the United States.

Ark Royal, named after the flagship of the English squadron that defeated the Spanish Invincible Armada in 1588, entered the service of the Royal Navy in 1985. He was sent to the shores of Yugoslavia during the civil war in this country 1991-1995gg. He also participated in an operation to invade US and British troops in Iraq. Several helicopters assigned to this aircraft carrier, were lost in the fighting against the army of Saddam Hussein.