Royal Navy supercarrier ready for service

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the first of a new class of aircraft carriers that will be the biggest and most powerful warships ever constructed for the Royal Navy, designed to serve Britain for 50 years

SPECIFICATIONS – QE-CLASS
Displacement 65,000 tonnes
Speed 25 knots (46km/h)
Range 18,520km at 15 knots
Aircraft 40 (fixed and rotary wing)
Crew 1,600 (including air wing)
Expected service life 50 years

Aircraft: F-35B STOVL* jets, Merlin Mk2 helicopters equipped with Crowsnest early warning radar

Ski jump: F-35 jets use 13-degree ramp to aid take-off, saving fuel and improving range

Forward island
Navigation bridge

Aft island
Flying control

Hangar: Houses up to 20 aircraft. Room for Chinook helicopter without blade folding

Armament: Three Phalanx CIWS* for airborne threats. Ship also has 30mm guns and mini-guns

Propulsion: Two Rolls-Royce Marine Trent MT30 gas turbines, each generating 36MW (48,000hp)

Aircraft lifts: Each lift can move two F-35s from hangar to flight deck in 60 seconds

Length: 280m
Beam 73m

Flight deck area: 16,000 sq metres (includes islands and lifts)

CARRIER COMPARISON
Displacement (tonnes)
Gerald R. Ford U.S. 100,000
Nimitz-class U.S. 100,000
Queen Elizabeth UK 65,000
Adm. Kuznetsov Russia 58,500
Liaoning China 55,000


Sources: ACA, Kable, UK Ministry of Defence *Close-in weapon system © GRAPHIC NEWS