Invincible's missile fit made the through-deck cruiser a hybrid

Can the Royal Navy's Invincible-class through-deck cruisers be considered hybrid warships?

Yes. Their planned Sea Dart and Sea Wolf missile armament combined a substantial surface combat system with aviation, while a larger proposed variant may have improved aircraft handling with deck-edge lifts.

Invincible belongs among modern hybrid arrangements because the original design joined a through flight deck to significant missile armament. Sea Dart and Sea Wolf gave the ship combat functions beyond operating aircraft, even though aviation became its defining role. A somewhat larger proposal may have used deck-edge elevators instead of centerline lifts. That arrangement would have improved aircraft movement by reducing the need to interrupt the landing area. The larger option was reportedly constrained by the political and definitional limits surrounding the through-deck cruiser concept.