Hms Invincibles Weapons and Aircraft

Invincible initially lacked any close-in weapon systems. As one of the lessons from the Falklands War Invincible had two 20 mm Raytheon Phalanx close-in weapon systems fitted but these were later upgraded to three Thales 30 mm Goalkeeper CIWS; there are also two Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. Countermeasures were provided by a Thales jamming system and ECM system, Seagnat launchers provide for chaff or flare decoys.

Initially the carriers were armed with a Sea Dart SAM missile system, but this was removed to enlarge the flight deck and to allow magazine storage for Royal Air Force Harrier GR7s.

The carrier’s air group comprised nine Harriers and twelve helicopters which were usually all Sea Kings, either anti-submarine warfare (ASW) or Airborne Early Warning (AEW) variants. The carrier also provided an operational headquarters for the Royal Navy task force.

The runway is 170 metres or 560 ft long and included the characteristic “ski jump”. The runway jump was initially 7° but later increased to 12°.