Key Points and Summary – The UK’s two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers have overcome early maintenance issues to become successfully deployed power projection platforms. At one point, rumors circulated that one of the carriers could be sold.
-These ships operate the F-35B stealth fighter, using a ski-jump for takeoffs.
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 8, 2017) The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth II sails in formation alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) during exercise Saxon Warrior 2017, Aug. 8. Saxon Warrior is a United States and United Kingdom co-hosted carrier strike group exercise that demonstrates interoperability and capability to respond to crises and deter potential threats. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tristan B. Lotz/Released)
-A key capability is their high degree of interoperability with the U.S. Marine Corps, which also flies the F-35B.
-This allows U.S. jets to operate from UK carriers and vice-versa in “cross-deck” operations.
-This shared platform, combined with common data links, serves as a massive force multiplier, significantly expanding the reach and flexibility of both allied navies.
The Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers are Back
The UK Royal Navy operates two Queen-Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, ships armed with a collection of vertical take-off and landing F-35Bs in position to project 5th-generation air power far from Britain’s shores.
The current existence of two operational carriers is welcome news and quite reassuring for many in the UK Ministry of Defence, in large measure due to the problems the carriers have experienced in recent years.
At one point, it seemed possible that the UK might cancel or sell its second Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, due to mechanical challenges and developmental problems.
Both British carriers have experienced maintenance problems and funding shortages in recent years, leading some to question the ongoing utility of carriers for the UK.
However, while maintenance and funding challenges still exist, Britain’s carrier fleet has since rebounded and surged into successfully deployed, F-35B-armed warships.
The HMS Prince of Wales recently transited through areas of the South China Sea, projecting power with F-35Bs forward operating in the Pacific.
The two UK carriers, which emerged in 2014 and 2017, enabled the UK to form its own Carrier Strike Groups, capable of projecting power and, if needed, launching air attacks from locations worldwide.
UK & US Carriers
The UK ships are listed as operating at 80,600 tons, roughly 20 tons lighter than the 100-ton US Navy Ford-class carriers.
A significant reason for the weight difference is the carrier deck length and width, as the Ford-class carriers are 1,092 ft long, while the Queen Elizabeth ships are 932 ft long.
The width, hangar space for storage, and electric elevators enable the Ford to move and launch a much greater number of aircraft.
US Navy Ford-class carriers, for example, can easily launch and operate as many as 50 or more F-35Cs. In contrast, the UK Queen Elizabeth class can carry a maximum of 36 F-35Bs in wartime and typically averages 12-24 F-35Bs under normal deployment conditions.
Nimitz-class carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) transits the Atlantic Ocean while offloading munitions via helicopter to the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), June 27, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in- class nuclear aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group Twelve, incorporates modern technology, innovative shipbuilding designs, and best practices from legacy aircraft carriers to increase the U.S. Navy’s capacity to underpin American security and economic prosperity, deter adversaries, and project power on a global scale through sustained operations at sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jarrod Bury)
Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
British Queen-Elizabeth-Class Launch F-35Bs
The Queen Elizabeth-class carriers incorporate a slight ski-jump configuration, as opposed to a large flat deck, primarily because they do not operate with a catapult.
The absence of a catapult, which enables massive F-35Cs to launch from a carrier deck in the case of the USS Ford, means the Queen Elizabeth can only launch vertical-take-off-and-landing F-35Bs.
However, this maritime 5th-generation power projection capability is massively fortified by the growing ability to interoperate with US F-35B-capable ships such as amphibious assault ships.
With both ships configured to operate F-35Bs, the US Marine Corps amphibs and the UK Queen Elizabeth carrier have been able to take off and land F-35Bs on each other’s ships.
Such an ability, strengthened by the F-35’s common, multinational Multi-Function Data Link (MADL) connecting US and UK F-35s, massively expands mobility and air power projection capability.
The US Marine Corps and UK Royal Navy practiced this as far back as 2020 during a three-day joint exercise in the North Sea.
Details of this training exercise are offered in an article in The National Interest.
“During the attack operations, planes from both countries dropped 500lb Paveway IV bombs onto a dedicated range. Former Commander Mark Sparrow Royal Navy, former commanding officer of 617 Squadron, said the exercise began with high optempo deck operations on board the carrier,” the National Interest states in 2020.
An essay in the UK Royal Navy report from 2020 discusses the maturation of US Marine Corps – UK connectivity with the F-35, describing the exercise as a “springboard” for the next phase of loading live weapons onto the aircraft.
“That was a springboard for the next phase, which was to load live weapons on the aircraft, which we had not done from HMS Queen Elizabeth before. It was an opportunity to end-to-end test all the systems within the ship and the squadron, from building and loading the weapons all the way through to successfully releasing them on target,” Sparrow said in the UK Royal Navy report.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
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