HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)

HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the first of the Royal Navy's two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and is scheduled for sea trials in 2017 and flight trials in 2017. She will be the second ship to be called HMS Queen Elizabeth, named after Queen Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship, Prince of Wales, will be the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. They are intended to be multi-purpose carriers that can be adapted to complete multiple roles. Capable of carrying forty aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II, Chinook or Merlin helicopters, they will provide a major capability upgrade from the preceding Invincible-class carriers. Both ships of the class will be based at HMNB Portsmouth.