Written question asked by James Cartlidge (Conservative) on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 5 February 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Wednesday, 11 February 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Aircraft Carriers
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing Project Ark Royal.
- Answer
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Projects VIXEN and ARK ROYAL have been incorporated into the Royal Navy’s Maritime Aviation Transformation Strategy (MATX). MATX envisages a Fleet Air Arm that is ‘uncrewed where possible; crewed where necessary,’ and will help to realise the Hybrid Air Wing recommended in the Strategic Defence Review.
Projects VIXEN and ARK ROYAL are no longer in use. Instead, Project VANQUISH has been established to demonstrate a short take-off and landing, jet powered Autonomous Collaborative Platform capable of operating from a Queen Elizabeth Class carrier. The project will generate evidence to inform the development of uncrewed fixed wing aircraft for operation from Royal Navy aircraft carriers without requiring the installation of Assisted Launch and Recovery Equipment (ALRE), subject to Defence Investment Plan decisions.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 110436
- Session
- 2024-26
- Grouped for answer
- Yes
- Subjects
- Aircraft carriers
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-02-11 15:51:22 +0000
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/110436
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- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/110436
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