Real Invincibles set the technical baseline

The historical Invincible class is described at 16,000 tons light and 22,000 tons fully loaded, with a 209-metre hull, 36-metre beam, and 8-metre draft. Four Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines delivered 100,000 shaft horsepower through two shafts, with an official speed of 28 knots and range of 7,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. Eight Paxman Valenta diesel generators supplied electrical power. The sensor discussion covers Type 1022 air-search, Type 996 surface-search, Type 1006/1007 navigation, Type 909 fire-control radar, and Type 2016 sonar. Sonar offered warning of a nearby submarine or torpedo, following earlier Royal Navy practice on major ships. A flight deck listed at 168 metres, a twelve-degree ski jump, and Sea Dart formed part of the aviation and defensive fit, with Phalanx or Goalkeeper added after the Falklands. Later tailored air groups commonly totalled 22 Harriers, Sea Kings, and Merlins, with ground-attack Harrier GR7s replacing the Sea Harrier's air-defence role. The Falklands comparison estimates twelve Sea Harriers and ten Sea Kings on Invincible, against sixteen Sea Harriers, eight Harrier GR3s, and about 22 Sea Kings on Hermes. Those embarked totals varied as helicopters deployed ashore or were lost.