The review explicitly moved emphasis away from open-ocean and home-water warfare toward force protection and operations near hostile coasts. It planned two 40,000-ton carriers, each carrying up to 50 aircraft and helicopters. Alongside the review, a broader 1990s concept added three landing helicopter docks, creating five decks able to operate a common aircraft type in different numbers. That mix would have replaced six older carrier and amphibious ships with five more interoperable platforms and three well decks. Aircraft candidates included the Joint Strike Fighter, a modernized Eurofighter 2000, an upgraded Sea Harrier, and existing American and French naval jets. Later policy retained the two carriers while the proposed five-deck carrier-amphibious system was never delivered.
Chapter · 47:44-51:09
The 1998 shift from open-ocean warfare to the littoral
The 1998 review redirected the Royal Navy toward littoral force projection and two large carriers, while a broader 1990s concept proposed five compatible carrier and amphibious flight decks.