THE AMERICA ONE NEWS
Jul 5, 2025  |  
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 | Remer,MN
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Tom Sharpe


Abandoning a multimillion-pound stealth jumpjet in India isn’t a good look

Shipborne aviation is a tricky business even in peacetime. Landing a helicopter, even though it can hover, on a ship, is by no means simple – especially if it’s not a big ship. In my old life, watching a 13-ton Merlin helicopter land on a heaving frigate flight deck at night, with literally feet to spare between the rotors and the hangar, made me glad the pilot got paid more. Landing a fixed wing jet, even if it’s an F-35B and does also have a limited ability to hover, on a ship, is always very difficult and involves quite a lot of danger.

Even the US Navy, masters of all things carrier aviation, can still learn the hard way. A US carrier recently made a hard turn under missile attack in the Red Sea. An F-18 was being towed by tractor on deck, with sailors driving both the tractor and the jet: as the ship heeled, both began skidding unstoppably towards the deck edge. The sailors managed to jump out, but the fighter and the tractor both went into the sea. This stuff is hard. 

My feeling of being glad the aircrew get paid more didn’t last. In too many cases it isn’t true over time: aviators and mine clearance divers in the Royal Navy, both of which groups receive extra pay, both have the same joke.

“We don’t get paid more, we just get paid faster.”