HMS Queen Elizabeth is the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. Capable of carrying up to 70 aircraft, she is named in honor of the first Queen Elizabeth, a World War I era super-dreadnought, which in turn was named after Queen Elizabeth I. The carrier Queen Elizabeth will carry her namesake ship's honors, as well as her Tudor rose-adorned crest and motto.

The ship began sea trials in June 2017, was commissioned on December 7th, 2017, and is scheduled to enter service in 2020. Her first commanding officer was Commodore Jerry Kyd, who had previously commanded the carriers Ark Royal and Illustrious.

Due to the absence of catapults or arrestor wires, Queen Elizabeth is designed to operate V/STOL aircraft. The air wing will typically consist of F-35B Lightning II multirole fighters and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare. The design emphasizes flexibility, with accommodation for 250 Royal Marines and the ability to support them with attack helicopters and large troop transports such as Chinooks. She is the second Royal Navy vessel to bear the name Queen Elizabeth, and is based at HMNB Portsmouth.

Pictured here is a 1:1250 scale replica of the British Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08). Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 8-1/4-inches

Release Date: June 2022

Historical Account: "Westlant 18" - Queen Elizabeth's first significant deployment took place during autumn 2018, when the ship was taken across the Atlantic to begin flying trials with her fixed-wing aircraft. Although the program covers a range of areas, including the continued work-up of the Commander UK Carrier Strike Group and his staff, embarked for a deployment aboard for the first time, and small-scale exercises to test the ship's ability to land troops in the secondary amphibious role, the primary purpose was the first phase of fixed-wing flying trials involving the F-35B over two separate periods of approximately 3-4 weeks each starting in mid-September, utilizing a pair of the instrumented development aircraft from VX-23, the US Navy's air testing unit at NAS Patuxent River. The testing program saw the first launch of an F-35 from a ski-jump at sea (the F-35B has operated from the US Navy's assault ships, but these are not fitted with ski-jumps), and the first demonstration of the Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landing technique.

In addition to the F-35 trials, Queen Elizabeth also began qualifications for types of aircraft operated by the US armed forces, including the V-22 Osprey. As part of the deployment, the ship made her first overseas port visit to New York City in October, in between layovers at Naval Station Norfolk, some operations in the Caribbean possible, to test the ship's hot weather performance, as well as being on hand if needed for any disaster relief operations during the hurricane season. Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to return to the UK in December.