HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) is the lead ship of the Royal Navy's latest class of aircraft carriers, the Queen Elizabeth Class—the largest warships ever built in Britain, displacing 65,000 tonnes. Assembled at Rosyth Dockyard by Babcock Marine and commissioned in 2017, the carrier operates F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighters, and Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, from a distinctive ski-jump flight deck. It features integrated electric propulsion, advanced radar systems, and close-in defences including Phalanx and 30 mm guns. Sister vessel Prince of Wales shares the same core design.

Queen Elizabeth’s maiden active duty came in 2021 as flagship of the global Carrier Strike Group deployment Operation FORTIS—a demonstration of the UK’s strategic reach and significance in modern naval power.