There was a time when Spain was one of the great powers of the sea. Gone are those times when even the US feared, for various reasons, the Spanish Navy, but these last times have resurfaced interest in strengthening security in this environment. Projects such as the new Bac II combat ship are ours and, now, Navantia has a new commission: studying the viability of the first conventional aircraft carrier in Spain.
It will not be easy, but the project is tremendously ambitious.
Studying possibilities. A few weeks ago, and as we read in the country, the Navy commissioned the public shipyard Navantia a viability study on the construction of an aircraft carrier. The shipyard must specify the technical characteristics of the ship and pass budget data that, subsequently, the Government must approve, but although all the details to be specified, as we read in the debate, there are already those who point to the modern French carrier Charles de Gaulle as inspiration.
What Spain wants. Unlike the French flagship, the new Spanish carrier would not be a nuclear aircraft carrier, but it would have similar dimensions, with more than 260 meters in length and about 40,000 tons. What is clear is that, as we say, it will be the first pure aircraft carrier that the Navy will have, and this must be clarified.
In the 67, the US gave the Daedalus to the Navy, then Navantia built the ruined Prince of Asturias and, currently, we have Juan Carlos I. The three have space for both helicopters and airplanes, but although they have a ramp, they have an important limitation: the airplanes that can land and deploy are the Stovl, which begin the movement in vertical.
And what is the problem? That this limits the model that you can operate, and with current AV-8B Harrier II that ask for the time, it is urgent to have an aircraft carrier that is able to house more modern fighters and without so much dependence on the United States. For example, the FCAS developed together by France, Spain and Germany. If in the end it has a naval version, of course. According to EFE, the intention of the Navy is that it has a cover with capacity for up to 30 state -of -the -art aircraft.
Officially, Juan Carlos I is a “Ampibio assault ship”
India comes into play. As they point out in infodefense, the development of a traditional aircraft carrier (without being electromagnetic such as those that already operate China and the United States) or with nuclear propulsion as the aforementioned Charles de Gaulle, should not be a challenge for Navantia. “Simply” will be expensive, it will take time and will have a lot of steel, but the technology is more than settled.
And here Navantia can have an advantage as “training”: Türkiye. Navantia has already made some designs for Turkey, such as the TCG Anadolu that became the jewel of the Turkish Navy crown and, as we read in Infodefensa, the Spanish company would also be developing with Turkey a traditional aircraft carrier of more than 300 meters. It will be something that serves to acquire even more experience in this type of vehicles.
Strategic strength. Having a “pure” aircraft carrier is necessary for Spain in the current context of geopolitical tensions, even with allies that we considered as close as the United States. Within the process of rearming Europe, it is also something that makes sense, as much as countries and France and the United Kingdom have collaborated to “add” their nuclear arsenals.
An aircraft carrier, even if it is a vehicle with a very expensive maintenance, is an important element of deterrence due to its implications, something that we have recently seen in the tensions in the South China Sea. Even Japan, which for years was a demilitarized nation, has already begun to move in this regard and has already presented its first aircraft carrier since World War II.
For long. On the other hand, there is no hurry for this first Spanish aircraft carrier. Those hurries will arrive when the Harrier retires, because we would have to depend on the US F35B, but as we said, it is on its way to go. If everything is fulfilled, we would be talking about the first aircraft carrier for about fifteen years, but to reach that point the Navantia report must convince the government and he authorize its construction.
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