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This article contains information about an as-yet unfinished ship.
It may contain preliminary or speculative information, and may not reflect the final version of the ship.
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Predicted CVF design |
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| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
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| Ordered: | 20 May 2008 |
| Builder: | BVT Surface Fleet BAE Systems Submarine Solutions Thales Group Babcock Marine |
| Homeport: | Portsmouth (planned) |
| Honours and awards: |
St Lucia 1778,Groix 1795,Dardanelles 1915,Bismarck Action 1941,Malta Convoys 1941 |
| Fate: | Planned |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 65,000 tonnes (full load)[1] |
| Length: | 920 ft (280 m) |
| Beam: | 39 metres (waterline) c.70 metres overall |
| Draught: | 9 metres |
| Range: | 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km) |
| Capacity: | 1,400 |
| Complement: | 600 |
| Aircraft carried: | 40 aircraft, including 36 F-35 Lightning II |
HMS Prince of Wales will be the second of the Royal Navy's two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and is scheduled to enter service in 2016.[2]
Prince of Wales and her sister ship (Queen Elizabeth) will be the largest warships ever built in the United Kingdom. They are multi-purpose carriers that can adapt to complete multiple roles. It will be capable of carrying 36 fixed-wing aircraft (the F-35B Lightning II) and an estimated 12 helicopters, a major capability upgrade from the current Invincible class carriers.
The aircraft currently selected to be used on these carriers are the Short Take Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Lightning II. The carrier will be fitted with a ski-jump ramp, but provision will be made to adapt the the flight deck for fixed wing planes with a catapult launch and arrestor recovery system should the UK choose to operate the conventional F-35C or an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) similar to the X-47 Pegasus.
The defence secretary Des Browne confirmed the GBP£3.8 billion order for the two carriers on 25 July 2007. The ship will be assembled at Rosyth using blocks built by participating shipyards.
See also
- HMS Prince of Wales for other ships of this name.
- Royal Navy in the 21st century
References
- ^ Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) MOD website. retrieved 21 May 2008
- ^ Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 2007-07-25
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