The $3.6bn aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales may be sold at a throwaway price to a friendly country or mothballed due to funding problems. This was reported by The Daily Mail (DM) with reference to sources in the UK Navy.
According to DM, the Royal Navy is demanding an increase in funding. The Prince of Wales recently broke down and had to stand down for repairs, as did the first aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, where the propeller shaft rusted out. As a result, in order for at least one ship to remain, it is proposed that one of the aircraft carriers be mothballed or sold to a friendly country.
Such a scenario, according to the publication’s source, was being considered by members of the Major Naval Enterprise Planning Group after it was revealed that the draft budget to be presented next week did not include any significant increase in defence spending.
“The group realises that the Navy is struggling to meet operational commitments and needs an early increase in capability,” he said. – The second aircraft carrier is an asset in reserve with very expensive and rarely used equipment. Therefore, if we want to solve budgetary problems, we can get rid of the aircraft carrier or transfer it, say, to an ally from AUKUS (a tripartite military alliance of Australia, Britain and the US),” the newspaper’s interlocutor said.
Earlier, The Times reported that amid weakening Western support for Kiev, the UK government might influence the duration of the conflict in Ukraine by dragging it out until 2025.