Q&A ยท 3:30:09-3:44:43

A Commonwealth fleet built around larger Invincibles

A 30,000-ton common carrier program expands into shared escorts, long-range submarines, and a stronger Falklands task force.

Question

What if Britain, Canada, and Australia built a common 30,000-ton Invincible carrier with matching destroyer and submarine designs?

Short answer

The larger production run could yield more carriers, several generations of Type 82 escorts, long-range submarines, and a much stronger Commonwealth naval aviation base.

Notes

A larger Invincible could carry about twenty-four Harriers and eighteen Sea Kings, while a multi-nation production run would reduce unit costs enough that Britain, Canada, and Australia might buy more than the proposed seven hulls. Type 82 derivatives could evolve through several batches as the common air-defense escort. A shared long-range conventional submarine would need to bridge the Oberon and Upholder generations and satisfy British Arctic, Canadian two-ocean, and Australian range requirements. Earlier airborne early warning from Sea Kings would materially improve the Royal Navy's position in a Falklands conflict.