Editing Invincible-class aircraft carrier (section)

{{Short description|Royal Navy aircraft carrier class}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2021}}
{{more footnotes|date=September 2011}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:HMS Ark Royal MOD 45151273.jpg
| Ship caption = [[HMS Ark Royal (R07)|HMS ''Ark Royal'']] in 2008
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Invincible'' class
| Builders = *[[Swan Hunter]]
*[[Vickers Limited Shipbuilding Group]]
| Operators = {{navy|United Kingdom}}
| Class before = *{{sclass|Audacious|aircraft carrier|0}} fleet carrier
*{{sclass|Centaur|aircraft carrier|0}} light carrier
| Class after = {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier|4}}
| Subclasses = 
| Cost = 
| Built range = 1973–1981
| In service range = 
| In commission range = 1980–2014
| Total ships building = 
| Total ships planned = 
| Total ships completed = 3
| Total ships cancelled = 
| Total ships active = 
| Total ships lost = 
| Total ships scrapped = 3
| Total ships preserved = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = 
| Ship type = [[Light aircraft carrier]]
| Ship displacement = 22,000 tonnes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Ships/Assault-Ships/HMS-Illustrious |title=HMS Illustrious |publisher=Royal Navy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117044121/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Ships/Assault-Ships/HMS-Illustrious |archive-date=17 January 2012}}</ref>
| Ship length = {{convert|209|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|36|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|8|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = *[[Combined gas and gas|COGAG]]
*4 × [[Rolls-Royce Olympus|Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B]] gas turbines
*8 × [[Paxman Valenta]] diesel generators
*{{convert|100000|shp|MW|abbr=on}}
*2 shafts
| Ship speed = *{{convert|28|kn|abbr=on}} maximum
*{{convert|18|kn|abbr=on}} cruising
| Ship range = {{convert|7000|nmi|abbr=on}} at cruising speed
| Ship endurance = 
| Ship troops = Up to 500 Marines
| Ship complement = 650 ships company, 350 air crew
| Ship sensors = *[[Type 1022 Radar|Type 1022 Air Search Radar]]
*Type 996 Surface Search Radar
*Type 1006/1007 Navigation Radar
*Type 909 Fire Control Radar (until 1998-2000)
*[[Sonar 2016|Type 2016 Sonar]]
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = * [[Sea Dart missile]] system (removed during late 1990s)
* 2 × 20&nbsp;mm [[anti-aircraft gun]]s
*3 [[Phalanx CIWS|Phalanx]]/[[Goalkeeper CIWS|Goalkeeper]] [[close-in weapons system]]s
| Ship armour = 
| Ship aircraft = 
*Until December 2010, 22 aircraft;
**''Multi Mission - Strike, [[Anti-surface warfare|ASuW]] and [[Anti-submarine warfare|ASW]]''
***12 x [[RAF Harrier II|Harrier GR.7/9]]
***10 x [[Westland Sea King ASaC7|Sea King ASaC]] and [[AgustaWestland EH101|Merlin HM Mk.1]] helicopters
** ''Multi Mission - Strike and ASuW''
***18 x [[RAF Harrier II|Harrier GR.7/9]]
***4 x [[Westland Sea King ASaC7|Sea King ASaC]]  and [[AgustaWestland EH101|Merlin HM Mk.1]] helicopters<ref>[http://www.warshipsifr.com/interview_alanWest.html The Big Interview: Admiral Sir Alan West]</ref>
| Ship aircraft facilities = *{{convert|168|m|abbr=on}} axial flight deck
*Bow 12° [[Aircraft ski-jump|ski-jump]]
| Ship notes = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/invincible/index.html|title=Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers, United Kingdom|work=Naval-technology.com|access-date=5 August 2011|archive-date=19 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619043019/http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/invincible/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}
|}

The '''''Invincible'' class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of [[light aircraft carrier]] operated by the [[Royal Navy]]. Three ships were constructed: {{HMS|Invincible|R05|6}}, {{HMS|Illustrious|R06|6}} and {{HMS|Ark Royal|R07|6}}. The vessels were built as aviation-capable [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) platforms to counter the [[Cold War]] [[North Atlantic]] [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] submarine threat, and initially embarked [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier|Sea Harrier]] aircraft and [[Westland Sea King|Sea King HAS.1]] anti-submarine helicopters. With cancellation of the [[CVA-01|aircraft carriers renewal programme]] in the 1960s, the three ships became the replacements for [[Audacious-class aircraft carrier|''Ark Royal'' and ''Eagle'']] fleet carriers and the {{sclass|Centaur|aircraft carrier|0}} light fleet carriers, and the Royal Navy's sole class of aircraft carrier.

The three vessels saw active service in a number of locations, including the [[South Atlantic]] during the [[Falklands War]], the [[Adriatic]] during the [[Bosnian War]], and in the [[Middle East]] for the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]].

''Invincible'' was decommissioned in 2005 and put in reserve in a low state of readiness.<ref name="reserve">{{cite news|url=http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow-built-invincible-thrown-out-of-the-navy-1.765422?referrerPath=home |work=North West Evening Mail |title=Barrow-built Invincible thrown out of the Navy |date=5 October 2010 |access-date=30 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913152918/http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow-built-invincible-thrown-out-of-the-navy-1.765422?referrerPath=home |archive-date=13 September 2014 }}</ref><ref name=ForSale>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8165331/Aircraft-carrier-HMS-Invincible-is-put-up-for-sale.html |work=The Telegraph |title=Aircraft carrier HMS Invincible is put up for sale |last=Rayment |first=Sean |date=28 November 2010 |access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> She was sold to a Turkish scrapyard in February 2011,<ref name=Sold08Feb11>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12396523 |work=BBC News |title=HMS Invincible sold to Turkish ship recyclers |date=8 February 2011 |access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> and left Portsmouth under tow on 24 March 2011.<ref name=Towed24Mar11/> Pursuant to the [[Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010|Strategic Defence and Security Review, 2010]], ''Ark Royal'' followed, decommissioning on 13 March 2011. This left ''Illustrious'' as the sole remaining ship, serving as a [[helicopter carrier]] from 2011 to 2014 when it was decommissioned as well.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8376386/Ark-Royal-decommissioning-marks-end-of-a-long-and-celebrated-history.html |title=Ark Royal: decommissioning marks end of a long and celebrated history |last=Ward |first=Victoria |date=11 March 2011 |access-date=17 October 2015 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name="news.stv.tv">{{cite news|url=http://news.stv.tv/scotland/east-central/258714-hms-illustrious-leaves-rosyth-after-40m-refit |title=HMS Illustrious leaves Rosyth after £40m refit |date=2011-06-20 |access-date=2012-04-03 |publisher=STV |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623061953/http://news.stv.tv/scotland/east-central/258714-hms-illustrious-leaves-rosyth-after-40m-refit/ |archive-date=23 June 2011 }}</ref> Although the helicopter carrier [[HMS Ocean (L12)|HMS ''Ocean'']] remained in service, the Royal Navy was without a true aircraft carrier for the first time in nearly a century, until the commissioning of the first of two {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier|0}} aircraft carriers in December 2017.