HMS Queen Elizabeth (CVF)
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HMS Queen Elizabeth is the name believed to have been assigned to the first of the Royal Navy's two new CVF aircraft carriers, believed to be entering serivce in 2012.[1]
Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship (thought to be named Prince of Wales[1]) will be the largest warships ever built in the United Kingdom. They are multi-purpose carriers that can adapt to complete multiple roles. It will be capable of carrying 36 aircraft (the F-35B Lightning II), a major capability upgrade from the current Invincible class carriers.
The aircraft currently selected to be used on these carriers are the Short Take Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Lightning II. Originally the carrier will be fitted with a ski-jump ramp but in the future, the flight deck will have the provision to be be converted to use a catapult launch and arrestor recovery system should the U.K. choose to operate the conventional F-35C or an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) similar to the X-47 Pegasus.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- HMS Queen Elizabeth for other ships of the same name.
- HMS Prince of Wales, the second proposed CVF carrier.
- The Royal Navy in the 21st Century
