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Cavour (550)

2008 MODERN NAVY

Cavour (550) History

Conte di Cavour (550) is one of two active aircraft carriers of the Italian Navy (joined with the smaller Giuseppe Garibaldi (551)). The Garibaldi was commissioned in 1985 and has since been used as a straight deck ramp to manage Harrier II jump jets and various types of naval helicopters. The newer Cavour entered service in 2008 and completed a straight deck design with the descent ramp offset to port to support her Harrier IIs squadron and AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin helicopters - about 20 aircraft in total. Currently the flagship of the Italian Navy, Cavour received her first mission deployment in January 2010 to support Operation White Crane in the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

Her name was Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour (1810-1861) - the first Prime Minister of Italy, although her name was originally Luigi Einaudi, later Andrea Doria, and later Cavour. Cavour is not intended to replace the old Garibaldi aircraft carrier, but to complement it.

Cavour was developed in the 1990s and enacted on 17 July 2001. She was launched on July 20, 2004, and underwent the necessary sea trials before her official commissioning on March 27, 2008.

She is currently docked in La Spezia and active in "In Arduis Servare Mentem" (fighting under the slogan "Keep Calm" roughly translated as "Head of Hard Times").

Like many European-designed aircraft carriers, the Cavour was designed to accommodate a limited range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft as needed. These primarily include the AV-8B Harrier II jump jet family of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which do not require runway space for takeoff and recovery and behave like a helicopter.

Helicopters also played an important role in Operation Cavour, so both types of aircraft were available for the Cavour's wings. This allows the ship to be called upon for air defense, search and rescue, strikes, humanitarian assistance, anti-ship operations and reconnaissance as needed. The flight deck is divided into two areas - the main launch and recovery section on the port side and the secondary launch section on the starboard bow.

The island's superstructure was shifted to starboard in the usual fashion and contained the sensor and systems processing center as well as bridge and flight controls. The design also contained two twin hoppers, exhausting the traditional engine layout. There is a large crane in front of the superstructure and a smaller crane in the stern. The superstructure has two masts - the foremost mast has the EMPAR air search and missile guidance system in a spherical arrangement, and the last mast has a pole-mast arrangement.

There are two hangar lifts - one offset to starboard aft of the superstructure (for primary escape) and the second also offset to starboard (forward of the superstructure) for the forward flight deck. The ski jumping slopes are inclined at 12 degrees.

The Cavour is a conventionally powered boat with 6 diesel engines and 4 GE/Avio LM2500+ series gas turbines producing 88,000 hp. As a result, the vessel can reach speeds of up to 28 knots and a range of 7,000 nautical miles in ideal conditions.

The total length is 244 meters, the width is 39 meters, and the draft is 8.7 meters. Displacement is 27,000 tons at standard load and 30,000 tons at full load. The crew consists of 1,120 personnel, including officers, sailors, logisticians, pilots, mechanics and marines.

Cavour is defended by 4 x 8 cell A43 Sylver surface-to-air missile launchers firing MBDA Aster 15 series missiles. This is supported by 2 x Oto Melara 76mm/62 caliber Super Rapido cannons and 3 x 25mm/80 caliber Oerlikon Contraves Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) anti-aircraft guns. The air wing typically consists of eight AV-8B Harrier II jump jets and 12 AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin helicopters - the latter configured for airborne early warning roles.

In extreme war conditions, up to 30 aircraft can be stored on board. The hangar deck can also be used to store cargo and vehicles when supporting humanitarian assistance or amphibious assault operations.

The Italian Navy intends to replace its aging fleet of AV-8B Harrier II VTOL jets with the upcoming Lockheed F-35B Lightning II series VTOL aircraft, which are currently undergoing weapons testing before entering service (2012). Cavour slightly modified to fit the new American fighter.