Will the UK Aircraft Carrier Visit Our Country This Year?

Photo of the flight deck of the Invincible aircraft carrier that docked in Busan in July 1992 Photo by Seungbeom Ahn, Editor-in-Chief

Photo of the flight deck of the Illustrious, which docked in Busan in May 1997 Photo by Seungbeom Ahn, Editor-in-Chief

[Monthly Defense Times Editor-in-Chief An Seung-beom] The British Royal Navy is scheduled to dispatch a task force centered around the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth to Northeast Asia for joint exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and it is rumored that they will also make a goodwill visit to the naval base of the Republic of Korea.

In January, the defense ministries of both countries confirmed that they are in discussions regarding this matter, but no decisions have been made yet, and even if the port call happens, it is expected to be possible only in the second half of this year. If this visit to Korea is realized, it will be the third time a British aircraft carrier has called at a domestic port.

In July 1992, the Invincible-class aircraft carrier, which formed a cruising fleet in East Asia, anchored at Pier 8 of Busan Port, marking the first time a British aircraft carrier entered a Korean port. On its flight deck were Sea Harrier FRS.1 vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) fighters, the main players in the Falklands War, along with SH-3 Sea King helicopters onboard.

At that time, the visit of the British aircraft carrier was exceptional, but it held no military significance in Northeast Asia as it does today. The post-Cold War era, the dissolution of the federation due to the Yugoslav Wars, and the global dominance of U.S. military power characterized the world situation then. The fact that the British light aircraft carrier conducted a circumnavigation training cruise to Northeast Asia was so notable that no other European aircraft carrier-owning country had such an example.

France, after August 1990, only participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in February 1991 by deploying only maneuver helicopters on its aircraft carrier, and Italy and Spain did not approach Northeast Asia. On May 24, 1997, the British light carrier fleet again anchored at Busan Port, this time with the Illustrious-class carrier carrying Sea Harrier FA.2 V/STOL fighters on display.

This visit was sent ahead of the handover of Hong Kong to China, and after leaving Busan Port, the Illustrious-class carrier waited in nearby waters before the handover ceremony on June 30. It escorted the yacht Britannia, carrying the Hong Kong Governor's party, back to the UK.

The Royal Navy possessed the Hermes-class light aircraft carrier during the 1982 Falklands War but sold it to the Indian Navy in 1985 and from 1986 established a three-ship Invincible-class light aircraft carrier fleet. The force was reorganized with three Invincible-class carriers, and the onboard fighter was upgraded from the Sea Harrier FRS.1, which lacked medium-range air combat capability, to the Sea Harrier FA.2.

This three-ship light carrier system was fully retired by 2011, and construction of two next-generation Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers began, continuing to the present. The Royal Navy is forming a cruising fleet to showcase its first operationally deployed force through overseas training. If it calls at a domestic port in the second half of this year, it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the construction of the Korean-style aircraft carrier.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.