Skip to main content

Written question asked by James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 20 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Friday, 27 February 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


HMS Queen Elizabeth: Military Aircraft

Question

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

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-35B Lightning.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
114693
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Military aircraft HMS Queen Elizabeth
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk