Kapal Induk Terbesar Inggris HMS Queen Elizabeth Siap Kawal Laut Utara
Merlin Helicopters Make History by Becoming First Aircraft to Land on HMS Queen Elizabeth
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
HELIKOPTER Merlin hari ini membuat sejarah dengan menjadi pesawat pertama yang mendarat di kapal induk HMS Queen Elizabeth seharga Rp63 triliun.
Kapal berkapasitas besar berbobot 65.000 ton, yang terbesar di Angkatan Laut Kerajaan Inggris, pada akhirnya akan mengoperasikan hingga 36 jet Lightening II F-35 dan 14 helikopter.
Secara khusus, kru Departemen Udara, yang mengatur lalu lintas udara, manajemen dek penerbangan, perencanaan penerbangan dan layanan meteorologi, telah sibuk berlatih hari ini.
Mereka mempelajari bagaimana mengoperasikan pesawat terbang dari dek besar dan bisa menangani peralatan canggih yang kini menjadi tanggung jawab mereka.
Kabar tersebut terkuak saat kapal itu difoto pekan lalu ketika menuju ke Laut Utara tanpa mengangkut pesawat terbang.
Kapten Jerry Kyd, Commanding Officer, mengatakan: 'HMS Queen Elizabeth adalah kapal induk yang sangat fleksibel dan kuat, dapat mengoperasikan berbagai pesawat terbang yang berbeda dan menawarkan jangkauan global untuk mendukung kepentingan nasional Inggris dan memenuhi kebutuhan keamanan kami selama 50 tahun ke depan.
'Saya, dan Perusahaan Kapal, merasa senang bahwa Skuadron Udara Angkatan Laut 820 telah melakukan pendaratan dek pertama ke HMS Queen Elizabeth hari ini.'
'Ini adalah peristiwa seru dan bersejarah yang menandai dimulainya hidupnya sebagai Kapal Kebanggaan Perang dan masa depan penerbangan berbasis kapal induk.'
"Ini adalah pekan yang sibuk tapi menantang dan mengasyikkan bagi kami, kapal ini sibuk dengan aktivitas dan sekarang sangat fantastis saat ini sampai ke dek penerbangan empat hari setelah berlayar."
Selama enam pekan ke depan, kapal induk tersebut akan menghabiskan waktunya di Laut Utara dan membuktikan kemampuan sistem.
Kapal induk tersebut akhirnya akan menuju ke markas barunya Portsmouth, Hampshire, kemudian musim gugur ini.
Pekan lalu, model jet tempur F-35 Lightning II terdesak di sekitar dek di RNAS Culdrose Cornwall sehingga tim dek penerbangan bisa didarati pesawat tempur paling canggih di dunia.
Jet yang sebenarnya akan ditempatkan di kapal tersebut - bernama 'Big Lizzie' - yang beroperasi di tengah samudera untuk pertama kalinya di Skotlandia Senin lalu seperti dilansir MailOnline.
MERLIN helicopters have today made history by becoming the first aircraft to land on the £3.1billion supercarrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The pair of helicopters from 820 Naval Air Squadron touched down on her four acre flight deck on Monday.
The huge 65,000-tonne vessel, the largest in the Royal Navy, will eventually be capable of operating up to 36 F-35 Lightening II jets and 14 helicopters.
In particular, members of the Ship's Air Department, which provides air traffic control, flight deck management, flight planning and meteorological services, have been busy training for today.
They have been learning how to operate aircraft from such a large deck and getting to grips with the state-of-the-art equipment they now have available at their finger tips.
It comes as the vessel was photographed last week making its way towards the North Sea with no planes on board.
Captain Jerry Kyd, Commanding Officer, said: 'HMS Queen Elizabeth is an incredibly flexible and powerful aircraft carrier, able to operate an array of different aircraft and offering global reach in support of UK national interests and meeting our security needs for the next 50 years.
'I, and the Ship's Company, are delighted that 820 Naval Air Squadron have conducted the very first deck landing to HMS Queen Elizabeth today.
'It is an exciting and historical event which marks the beginning of her life as the Nation's Flagship and the future of carrier based aviation.
'It's been a demanding but proud and exciting week for us, the ship is bustling with activity and it's been fantastic to see this extend now to the flight deck just four days after sailing.'
For the next six weeks, the huge vessel will spend her time in the North Sea and Moray Firth 'proving systems'.
She will finally head to her new home of Portsmouth, Hampshire, later this autumn.
Last week, life-size models of the F-35 Lightning II jets were pushed around tarmac at Cornwall's RNAS Culdrose so flight deck teams could get a feel for the world's most advanced warplanes.
The real jets will be deployed on the vessel - named 'Big Lizzie' - which was put into the sea for the first time in Scotland last Monday.
