Alex recalls a planned force of two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers and three LHDs, all with ski-jumps and access to the same pool of aircraft. If a fleet carrier was unavailable, an LHD could operate part of the air group in an emergency. He links that five-deck arrangement to compromises with the RAF and to the requirements of a medium-sized power. The three supporting LHDs were not built in the account he gives, leaving the two carriers in a narrower force structure. He also notes that the amphibious concept under discussion in December 2025 was changing again.
Notable Point · 2:31:23-2:32:46
The five-deck logic behind Britain's carrier plan
Two carriers and three ski-jump LHDs were meant to share aircraft and create five usable decks, making the carrier choice more coherent than the fleet ultimately built around it.