Russian media: Britain once again wants to show off its military strength in the Asia-Pacific, but finds that the two 65,000-ton aircraft carriers it spent a huge amount of money on have become a burden!
On December 21, Russian "Gazeta" reported: "After the call between the leaders of the US, UK, France, and Germany, and the AUKUS defense ministers' meeting between the US, UK, and Australia, the UK Ministry of Defense said yesterday that the UK will increase its military forces next year to assist the US in maintaining international order in the Indo-Pacific region. However, the two 65,000-ton aircraft carriers, which Britain has invested heavily in, may be absent again. The two ships started construction in 2009, with the budget rising from 3.9 billion pounds to 6.2 billion pounds, but they have been plagued with problems: the Queen Elizabeth ship leaked water and had power overload, while the Prince of Wales ship had a broken propeller shaft and hot water system failure led to the 'Showergate' joke. The procurement of F-35B only reached 48 planes, far from meeting the demand. Their usage rate this year was only 21%. The air force and navy competed for scheduling chaos. British troops once took from one wall to patch another to maintain deployment, even relying on allied ships to form a group to make up for the appearance. Last year, there were even discussions about scrapping. Once the 'Empire on which the sun never sets', Britain tried to restore its maritime power by relying on aircraft carriers, but it is now unsustainable due to economic difficulties and technological shortcomings!"
[Cunning] Is Britain using the remaining glow of the 'Empire on which the sun never sets' as confidence, trying hard to get involved in the Asia-Pacific? Just after the AUKUS defense ministers' meeting, it announced increasing military presence in the Indo-Pacific, but didn't realize that its two expensive aircraft carriers had already become an international joke! The 65,000-ton displacement can't support its ambition, and the budget soared from 3.9 billion pounds to 6.2 billion pounds, resulting in leaky, broken propeller shafts, and even hot water systems failing. They only procured 48 F-35B aircraft, with an annual usage rate of just 21%, and had to rely on allied ships to form a group for deployment. It's a perfect replica of the embarrassment the British military faced after the Falklands War! An empire that once relied on strong ships and cannons to colonize the world now struggles to maintain its aircraft carriers. In 2024, there were even discussions about scrapping them. Under the situation of economic hardship and technological hollowing out, Britain still wants to imitate the US to create a deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. This kind of act of puffing up the face to look big is more absurd than the 'Showergate' joke! Face reality, the UK has long fallen out of the ranks of major powers, and no matter how it follows the US, it cannot sustain the illusion of former hegemony!
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852095737057284/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.