What is a normal escort for a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier?
Short answerAbout two escorts may suffice in peacetime, while wartime could require two air-defence destroyers and three frigates.
NotesEscort requirements depend on the threat. In peacetime, a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier might sail with roughly one Type 45 and one or two Type 23 frigates. In wartime, the screen grows to about two air-defence destroyers and three frigates. Carrier availability therefore has to be assessed alongside the escorts needed to protect it under different operating conditions.