I've been listening to whats happening on the radio with great interest. For some reason up until now I'd missed what was going to happen to Illustrious. In a way its a shame about Ark Royal but I feel it'll be worth it in the long run, the "Carriers" must surely be past their out of service date by now.
I'd heard the same information about one carrier being fitted out with cats and traps. They were talking about EMCAT (electromagnetic catapult) and its advantages. One source said that by buying F/A-18's and running those the saving would be £100 million. I didn't know the other carrier was to become a helicopter carrier.
Its a shame to see such a famous ship name as Ark Royal go, all the many incarnations over the years have had plenty of battle honors to be proud of, shame it ended like this.
Im not sure that the F-35 was such a good idea, the harrier while old seemed a capable enough aircraft. At least on the positive side the navy will have a proper strike carrier again even if it is nine years (unless any major delays) away.