It is not all about the jets - the carrier also provides the means for things like task group Anti Submarine Warfare by carrying sufficient helicopters (Merlin HM2 in our case) for 24/7 dipping....
I wonder when HMS Queen Elizabeth will take part in an exercise like Deep Blue? Perhaps the fact that the helicopter acts at a range from the carrier, therefore protecting everything inside that zone is overlooked? When we start doing deployments of a carrier and a LPD this will be a bit more obvious.
She has also carried Junglies and Bootnecks:
The Junglies have also performed a SAR role:
But back to the jets......
F-35 jets leave HMS Queen Elizabeth after 'eclipsing aspirations'
The success of the Westlant 18 deployment – which has also included a very high-profile visit to New York – allows the Portsmouth-based ship to move on to operational trials next year with British-owned F-35s flown by Naval and Air Force aviators based at RAF Marham.
....Captain Nick Cooke Priest, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s new Commanding Officer who was in command for the second phase of this current set of F-35 trials said this autumn’s trials had marked “a significant milestone on the Royal Navy’s journey back to big deck carrier operations.
“The schedule has been busy and challenging and the results have eclipsed the aspiration; this success is largely due to the exceptional relationship that exists between the ship and her embarked staff, and the scientists, engineers and pilots of the F-35 Integrated Test Force, all of whom have shown exceptional professionalism, dedication and drive.”
He continued: “This deployment has however delivered far more than the initial integration of fixed wing aircraft with the ship
“It has re-introduced the true value that carrier capabilities bring to the UK and her allies, it has deepened our relationship with our closest ally, demonstrated our nation’s engineering prowess and cemented our commitment to the future as a global navy.”
Lastly - HMS Dragon has been working with the USS Essex and her F-35B in the Middle East
Commander Michael Carter-Quinn, Dragon’s Commanding Officer, said: “Having trained as a fighter controller, and controlled harrier jump jets while serving on board HMS Invincible, it has been a great honour to command HMS Dragon to provide air defence duties to our US Navy colleagues.
“The step change in performance and range of roles the F-35s can provide is impressive, and to be able to work with these aircraft now in preparation for supporting the integration of the Queen Elizabeth-class, Type 45s and F-35s into the carrier strike group is exciting."