HMS Prince of Wales (CVF)

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This article contains information about an as-yet unfinished ship.

It may contain preliminary or speculative information, and may not reflect the final version of the ship.

Career (United Kingdom)
Predicted CVF design
Ordered:	May 20, 2008
Builder:	BAE Systems Thales Group KBR VT Group Babcock International Group
Fate:	Planned
General characteristics
Displacement:	65,000 tonnes (full load)^[1]
Length:	900 ft (270 m)
Beam:	39 metres (waterline) c.70 metres overall
Draught:	9 metres
Range:	10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km)
Capacity:	1,400
Complement:	600
Aircraft carried:	48 aircraft, such as F-35 Lightning II & the EH101 Merlin helicopter

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Prince of Wales.

HMS Prince of Wales will be the second of the Royal Navy's two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and is scheduled to enter service in 2016.^[2]

Prince of Wales and her sister ship (Queen Elizabeth) will be the largest warships ever built in the United Kingdom. They are multi-purpose carriers that can adapt to complete multiple roles. It will be capable of carrying 36 fixed-wing aircraft (the F-35B Lightning II) and an estimated 12 helicopters, a major capability upgrade from the current Invincible class carriers.

The aircraft currently selected to be used on these carriers are the Short Take Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Lightning II. Originally the carrier will be fitted with a ski-jump ramp but in the future, the flight deck will have the provision to be converted to use a catapult launch and arrestor recovery system should the U.K. choose to operate the conventional F-35C or an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) similar to the X-47 Pegasus.

The defence secretary Des Browne confirmed the GBP£3.8 billion order for the two carriers on 25 July 2007. The ship will be assembled at Rosyth using blocks built by participating shipyards.