HMS Queen Elizabeth: Military Aircraft
Commons · Question 114693 · Tabled 20 Feb 2026 · Ministry of Defence · Official record
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Question
Asked by James MacCleary
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the maximum operating weight of a fixed-wing aircraft that can be launched and recovered from a Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier without the use of Assisted Launch and Recovery Equipment.
Answer
Answered by Luke Pollard, 27 Feb 2026
The Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers are configured to operate Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing aircraft and helicopters and do not have catapults or arrestor gear for conventional fixed-wing operations. The fixed-wing aircraft operated is the F...