UK's defense embarrassment, the US Missile Marines failed concept (except to sell the F-35)...Marine F-35's aboard the British Queen Elizabeth class carrier...

 

US Missile Marine aircraft aboard the Queen Elizabeth.

No one will say it but this is a MASSIVE embarrassment for the UK MOD.

Why?

Because this lays bare a few things. The Brits don't have the aircraft to fill the decks of their own carrier.  The Marine Corps has moved beyond the idea of big deck amphibs and has labeled them as non-survivable in a future conflict. The number of F-35s in USMC service is gonna be cut and the same is happening to the Brits.

Last but not least it doesn't take a futurist to predict that the Brits probably won't volunteer for a fight with China.  Talk about "out of area" operations and you have it with the Brits getting into that fight!

Long story short?

This whole thing is passe.  From the future concept that is being laid out, to the ridiculousness of the Brits not even being able to put their own aircraft on their own ship, and finally to an interoperability thing that is finally being shown to have no clothes.

Whoever came up with this idea should be forced into retirement.