Q&A · 16:52-17:12

The Queen Elizabeth carriers and F-35B developed together

The carrier design was not finalized before the F-35B existed as a program; both were long-running developments whose timelines substantially overlapped.

F-35B Naval Aviation Naval Procurement Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers

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Question

Were the Queen Elizabeth-class carrier plans finalized before the F-35B program was under way?

Short answer

No. The carrier and aircraft programs developed over broadly the same long period.

Notes

Britain did not complete its carrier plans and only then select the F-35B. The Queen Elizabeth class and the short-takeoff fighter were parallel, long-duration projects. Choices about the ships and their aircraft therefore cannot be separated into two neatly consecutive procurement decisions.