Queen Elizabeth Class
Commanding the seas with strength and might. The largest versatile flagship and leader of all our fleets, protects and defend our national interests.
Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier
65,000 tonnes
284 metres
25 knots
10,000 nautical miles
Ruling the waves
Always ready for launch
Straight into the action
About the crew
Unrivalled firepower and technology
Radar-guided firepower
The Queen Elizabeth Class carriers use three Phalanx CIWS (close-in weapon system) turrets to deal with incoming threats from the sea and air.
Comprising of a radar-guided 20mm Vulcan cannon mounted on a swivelling base, the Phalanx has a dual fire rate of 3,000 or 4,500 shots per minute and is capable of hitting targets up to a mile away. No wonder the Royal Navy uses them on the majority of its surface combat ships.
The eye in the sky
Installed onto the Royal Navy’s Merlin MK2 helicopters, Crowsnest uses a powerful radar to provide long-range air, maritime and land tracking capabilities and ensure the early detection of potential threats to the fleet.
The Crowsnest is identifiable as a large radar dome, or ‘bag’, which sticks out from the fuselage of the Merlin and points downward when the helicopter is airborne.
Units and squadrons
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