The 30,000-ton light-load Invincible

The alternate design uses 30,000 tons light and 38,000 tons fully loaded, with a 255-metre hull, 44-metre beam, and 9.8-metre draft. Six Olympus turbines on three shafts provide about 150,000 shaft horsepower, an estimated 32-knot top speed, and a proposed range of 8,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. Twelve diesel generators add damage-control redundancy, although roughly ten might meet the electrical load. The personnel estimate rises from about 650 to 750 to allow for added requirements. The retained sensor suite is paired with Sea Dart, two six-round Sea Wolf launchers, and four 20-millimetre guns. A 214-metre axial deck serves 24 Sea Harriers, 20 ASW Sea Kings, and four Sea King AEW aircraft. Its extra 46 metres of launch run permit a ten-degree ski jump and possibly slightly heavier takeoffs. Funding constraints still leave the ship without a pre-Falklands close-in weapon system. The larger hull adds aviation capacity and survivability using equipment already available or under development.