equipment / Ships
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
Displacement
65,000 tonnes
length
284 metres
speed
25 knots
range
10,000 nautical miles
Ruling the waves
The Queen Elizabeth Class consists of the twin Aircraft Carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales - the largest and most powerful vessels ever constructed for the Royal Navy. They each weigh 65,000 tonnes, have a top speed in excess of 25 knots per hour and a range of 10,000 nautical miles.
Always ready for launch
The flight deck of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers is 280 metres long and 70 metres wide (roughly the size of three football pitches), and can carry up to 72 aircraft – including a maximum of 36 F-35B fighter jets, as well as any type of helicopter used by the UK armed forces.
Straight into the action
Each ship is capable of flying 72 fast jet sorties per day (which can be increased for limited periods), and two lifts are capable of lifting four F-35 fighter jets from the hangar to the flight deck in just 60 seconds. The jets are then launched into action from a six-metre-high ramp (known as the ‘ski-jump’) at the end of the flight deck.
About the crew
The Queen Elizabeth Class can operate on a crew of 679, but can accommodate up to 1,600 personnel, including a full air crew, Royal Marines and, if required, refugees.
Unrivalled firepower and technology
Protect
Did you know?
Radar-guided firepower
The carriers are well-equipped to deal with seaborne and airborne threats
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.
Detect
The eye in the sky
Crowsnest radars – providing vital surveillance for the entire fleet
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.
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