HMS Ark Royal (R07) was a British classic-propelled light aircraft carrier. The keel was laid in 1978, the launch took place in June 1981, and entry into service with the Royal Navy took place in 1985. The total length of the ship was 210 m, total width 36 meters, and her full displacement before the modernization - approx. 20,500 tons. The maximum speed was up to 30 knots. The on-board armament consisted of only a single Sea Dart anti-aircraft missile launcher at the time of the launch. After the 1982 Falklands War, the ship received three 20mm Vulcan Phalanx CIWS kits. The aircraft carrier could take up to 22 aircraft on board, including, for example, Westland Sea Kaing helicopters or BAE Harrier planes.
HMS Ark Royal was one of the three Invincible-class aircraft carriers. The ships of this type were designed to complement the CVA-01 aircraft carrier and were dedicated to anti-submarine warfare (ZOP). However, in 1966, the CVA-01 project was completely canceled, which also influenced the final enlargement of the Invincible class ships. It was also assumed that the new units would be able to operate Harrier-type aircraft. The third and last in the series was HMS Ark Royal (R07), which was built at the Swan Hunter shipyard in the Tyne and Wear metropolitan area of Great Britain. The unit did not manage to take part in the Falklands War (1982), but its design was changed based on the experience resulting from it. Among other things, direct defense weapons were added and the flight deck was redesigned to include a ski-jump ramp that allowed Harriers to take off with a greater load capacity of weapons. In the years 1999-2001, the unit was modernized, as a result of which it lost the Sea Dart rocket launcher. In 2003, HMS Ark Royal took part in the Second Persian Gulf War. The unit was decommissioned in 2011.
