The Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has completed a planned maintenance program at Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard in the UK.
According to the British defense company, the program involved inspection, maintenance, and enhancement of the ship’s critical systems, including propulsion, stabilization, and wider repair and renewal activity.
This marks the fourth successful dry docking of a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier at Rosyth in seven years. The 65,000-tonne (143 million pounds) warship is now set to begin sea trials before returning to front-line duties.
Babcock’s Managing Director of Marine Programmes, Phil Craig, described the program as ensuring the availability and capability of the UK’s aircraft carriers during a time of “increasing global uncertainty.”
Queen Elizabeth-Class
The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier comprises two of the “largest and most complex warships ever operated by the Royal Navy” — the HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and the HMS Prince of Wales (R09).
Each ship can achieve speeds of 25 knots (46 kilometers/29 miles) and a range of 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 kilometers/11,508 miles).
With a flight deck measuring 280 meters (919 feet) long and 70 meters (230 feet) wide, the vessel can support up to 1,600 personnel and accommodate up to 72 aircraft, including up to 36 F-35B fighter jets.
Plans to upgrade the carriers’ capabilities are underway, with the Royal Navy exploring future airborne early warning solutions and integrating fighter jets with drones and long-range weapons for hybrid air wings.
