Does the Queen Elizabeth class lack useful allied aircraft interoperability because it is not CATOBAR?
Short answerNo; only France and the United States operate CATOBAR carriers in NATO, while several allies can share F-35B operations across short-deck carriers.
NotesInteroperability is broader than landing French or American CATOBAR aircraft on a British deck. Italy, Spain, Japan, and potentially South Korea can operate or plan to operate F-35Bs, creating a larger pool of compatible aviation ships and aircraft. In a combined operation, a Spanish ship such as Juan Carlos I could transfer fixed-wing aircraft to a larger British carrier while taking aboard British helicopters, redistributing missions across the force. Australia's ships were deliberately built without F-35B capability, so adopting carrier aviation there would probably require a new ship rather than a simple conversion.