Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:38:09-3:38:55

Converting Queen Elizabeth carriers to catapults

A catapult conversion would not automatically create a Sea Tempest option because the projected Tempest airframe is not designed for arrested carrier landings.

CATOBARF-35BF-35CTempest (GCAP Combat Aircraft)Naval AviationQueen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers
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Question

Should the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers be converted to catapults for Sea Tempest or an F-35B replacement?

Short answer

Not for Sea Tempest as currently conceived. Its airframe is not designed for arrested recovery, and an F-35C replacement would inherit many issues of the existing F-35 family.

Notes

A carrier conversion and a naval aircraft design must be planned together. An aircraft intended for conventional runways cannot simply be made catapult-capable without also solving arrested landing loads and low-speed carrier handling. The current Tempest concept does not begin from that requirement, making a Sea Tempest unlikely. Moving from F-35B to F-35C would change launch and recovery systems without resolving the wider concerns behind the question.