Mr Ainsworth witnessed aircraft launching and recovering, saw the ship's operations room in action and met many of the ship's company, and embarked squadron personnel responsible for the delivery of carrier strike.
He also saw the Joint Force Harrier aircraft of IV (AC) Squadron who have recently returned from operations in Afghanistan.
Regarding the Government's commitment to building the new aircraft carriers Mr Ainsworth said:
"We need to replace our current carriers and we have two new ships that will do precisely that. They are going to be far, far bigger and will provide much better capability.
"We have to think about the future threat, what we want our nation to do, what we can afford to do and what different capabilities do we want. If we are going to be able to project power in different ways then carrier strike is absolutely key to that."
Construction of the first of the new carriers, Queen Elizabeth, recently got underway at a steel-cutting ceremony at BVT Surface Fleet's shipyard in Govan.
The Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, together with the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and the brand new Type 45 destroyers, will form the cornerstone of Britain's future ability to jointly project airpower worldwide from land or sea at a time and place of the UK's choosing.
The Officer in Command of IV (AC) Squadron, Wing Commander Harvey Smyth, said:
"It's exciting for the Royal Navy to be getting the new aircraft carriers, it is also equally exciting for the RAF, as we are the lead player on the Joint Strike Fighter, which will be the delivering air power from the new aircraft carriers, so a very exciting time for the RAF as well."
HMS Illustrious will continue to serve the nation until the new aircraft carriers are commissioned in the middle of the next decade.
The current Illustrious, the fifth ship of the name, is 26 years old and has been upgraded over the last three decades. It now carries Ground Attack Harriers, operating in the strike role, and has swapped the ageing Sea King Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopters for the exceptionally effective and modern Merlin helicopters.
|
