Hullform & Hydrodynamic Considerations in the Design of the UK Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF)

Abstract

An overview is provided of the manner in which hydrodynamic and hullform-related design considerations were addressed in the development of the BAE SYSTEMS team’s design proposal for the UK Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF). It also outlines how broader design considerations such as aviation, survivability and supportability requirements influenced these aspects of the design. A summary is also provided of some of the more detailed requirements development, option assessment and performance evaluation work that has been undertaken. The aircraft carrier designs discussed in this paper correspond to the BAE SYSTEMS team’s final design submission as it stood in January 2003, at the time it was discontinued by the UK Ministry of Defence, in favour of the rival Thales / BMT team design that has since been developed into the UK Royal Navy’s new ‘Queen Elizabeth’ class aircraft carrier. This final BAE SYSTEMS design submission consisted of two distinct design variants - one configured to operate a CTOL-based air group, the other configured to accommodate a STOVL air group. Both variants were based on a common ‘core’ ship design. The discussion presented in this paper is applicable to both variants. This paper was originally written for presentation at the June 2003 Royal Institution of Naval Architects ‘Warships 2003 - Air Power at Sea’ Conference. However, it was withheld from publication at the request of the UK Ministry of Defence, due to sensitivity surrounding the UK Aircraft Carrier project at that time. Following re-appraisal in June 2016, the UK Ministry of Defence has now authorised publication of this paper in full. The paper is presented here in its original (2003) form, with Section 2 added to provide historical perspective (given the passage of time).