Operating F-35Bs from a large carrier creates an option for smaller amphibious flight decks to use the same aircraft. A proposed British fleet would pair the two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers with two or three LHDs, using the America class or the Italian Trieste design as comparisons. Three LHDs would give the fleet five flight decks: two oriented toward carrier strike and three toward amphibious operations. An amphibious ship could cover a limited carrier role when the main strike carrier was unavailable, while a large carrier could supply some amphibious aviation capacity. Each would retain the limitations of its design and could only partly cover the other's work. In May 2024, the complementary LHD element of this proposal had not materialized.
Notable Point · 41:36-44:30
Common aircraft can turn several flight decks into a flexible force
A proposed British fleet of large carriers and compatible amphibious ships would use common F-35Bs to keep some aviation capacity available across several flight decks.