NationStates Jolt Archive

The Queen-Consort Laetitia christened the HINMS Royal Edmund today at a grand ceremony at the Royal Shipyards in Grimsby Downs, Angus. The 50,000 tonne vessel is the first carrier in fleet service since the two escort carriers built during the Second World War, and is the first of an intended three-ship class.

The vessel is equipped with two Advanced Sea Sparrow VLS, two RAM launchers, and three Goalkeeper CIWS, as well as a full suite of ECM and decoys. The carriers will be able to deploy between 40-50 aircraft, including a small contingent of AEW Hawkeyes. Initially the nascent Naval Air Service will use Sea Harrier FA.2s decommissioned by the British Royal Navy until it receives its new Rafale M fighters.

The cost of each conventionally-powered vessel is about L4 billion (about $2.5 billion US), sans aircraft.

Stuart Bodding, Minister of Defence, told Parliament today that the three ship Royal Edmund-class would be reduced to two owing to the rising costs of both defence and the new space program.

"Regrettably, the economy has not improved as we'd hoped," Bodding noted. "The regular services will have to be reduced."

This declaration has come on the heels of the Auditor-General's scathing attacks on the recent mobilisation in response to the Falkland Islands incident. "The costs of mobilising the first-line of reserves was far out of proportion to the circumstances," wrote the Auditor-General. The total cost was about L5 billion.

The Minister of Finance, Keith Semling, indicated that a wide range of government services will have to be cut. "Most government departments will be affected by the new retrenchment." After making this statement, Semling was pelted to unconsciousness by the Opposition benches.

This has been Kathy Horrocks, INBC News.

HINMS Royal Edmund has returned to the docks for refitting today. The Navy finally received permission to replace the Sea Sparrow launchers with Aster 15 VLS, increasing the cost of the carrier by another half-billion lethses. This latest expenditure has the Opposition outraged. "What about education, health care, small and medium business?" raged Judy Kwok, leader of the Centrist Party. "Big money for fat cats is all in which this government is interested!"

The Royal Edmund's sister-ship, the Queen Susan was designed with the new missile system in mind. Even so, costs on that vessel also rose by L50 million upon confirmation of the new deal.