What is the QE CVF Aircraft Carrier?

The CVF Aircraft carrier is the next generation of Aircraft Carrier planned to enter service with the Royal Navy in 2012-2015. They will be capable of travelling 18,250km without being refuelled and have enough food and stores for 7 days. The carrier is roughly 3 times larger than the former Invincible class carriers. This means that they will be nearer to the size of the US navies Nimitz class aircraft carriers. They will use a CATO BAR system so that they can launch not only STOVL and STOBAR aircraft but they can use conventional aircraft fitted with arrestor hooks. This will make them much more suited to performing joint operation with other countries such as the US and France who both use CATO BAR aircraft.                                                      

                                                                                      

 It will be capable of launching state of the art aircraft such as the F-35 JSF (joint strike fighter), AH-1 Apache attack helicopter, Westland Lynx Wildcat multi-role helicopter, Chinook heavy transport helicopter, AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin light transport helicopters and up until the time of the delivery for  the F-35 JSF Sea harrier FRS MK2's will be carried as the fast jets. The carrier will be capable of carrying a mixture of up to 40 aircraft. Future aircraft could also be purchased, these may include CATO BAR versions of the Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale M, F-18 Super hornets, E-2 hawkeye AWACS aircraft, V-22 Ospreys or an incorporation of the existing MQ-9 reaper UAV or the future Taranis stealth UAV. Several of these aircraft can be seen below

Two carriers will be made the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Whales. The QE will be on constant duty where as the POW will be on extended readiness. The carrier's will be 284m long displace 65,600 tonnes, will have 16,000 square metres of floor space, carry 1450 crew and travel at 25 knots +.