The HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales represent the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy — 65,000-tonne behemoths designed from the outset around the Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) concept, operating the F-35B without the need for catapults or arresting wires. Yet almost since their commissioning, debate has persisted in defence circles about whether the UK should retrofit these carriers with Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) technology — a conversion that would unlock the full spectrum of fixed-wing carrier aviation and potentially align British carrier operations more closely with NATO allies. That real-world conversation now has a virtual counterpart in Microsoft Flight Simulator, courtesy of developer ANSMedia and their ambitious scenery package, 🔗 Project Ark Royal.
A Real-World What-If, Rendered in Detail
The premise of Project Ark Royal isn't pure fiction. In June 2023, the US Naval Institute reported that the UK was actively considering adding catapults and arresting gear to the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, a move that had been previously studied — and shelved — during the original procurement process due to cost. ANSMedia has taken that hypothetical and turned it into a fully realised simulation experience, presenting a CATOBAR-equipped HMS Queen Elizabeth complete with functional catapults and arrestor wires, operable through the dedicated ANSMedia Common Toolbar.
It's worth being clear about how that functionality works: CATOBAR operations — launching from the catapult and catching a wire on recovery — are handled via the ANSMedia Toolbar, which must be open and active during flight. The toolbar detects cable engagements and manages all carrier-specific functions, so if you're planning to fly fixed-wing arrested landings aboard, that dependency is non-negotiable. The toolbar itself is a separate, free download from Flightsim.to.
What the Model Offers
The carrier model itself is detailed and feature-rich. Transparent bridge windows with animated interior crew, spinning radar dishes, a functional Optical Landing System (FLOLS), and switchable runway lighting — supporting both angled and straight-in approach configurations — are all present. Three ILS frequencies cover the main approach scenarios: 109.95MHz for the angled deck (arrestor wire approach), and 110.95MHz for a straight-in STOVL-style rolling landing, giving you flexibility depending on the aircraft you're flying.
The flight deck is a living environment, with animated crew performing a range of tasks across the deck surface — though ANSMedia notes this is still a work in progress, as is the hangar, whose models and textures are not yet final. Elevators are functional, full night lighting is implemented, and a circling Merlin AEW helicopter adds atmosphere, though its Crowsnest radar fairing is yet to be modelled. The carrier is also accompanied by a battle group of escort vessels — two Type 45 Destroyers, two Type 31 Frigates, a Tide-class replenishment ship, and an Astute-class submarine — each of which offers a landable surface.
Free and Paid Tiers
Project Ark Royal operates on a freemium model. The demo version includes four locations — the English Channel, Persian Gulf, RAF Valley, and the Cayman Islands — giving you a solid cross-section of environments to test the carrier in. The paid version, available via the 🔗 Flightsim.to Store, significantly expands the location roster with over a dozen additional deployments already available, ranging from Gdansk Bay and the Falklands to Tokyo, Hawaii, Venice, and Lossiemouth, among others. ANSMedia has committed to adding locations on an ongoing basis, and paid subscribers also gain access to a private Discord role for daily development builds, a fully navigable hangar (WIP), and — for those who get in early — the option to request a custom animated avatar placed aboard the carrier. The full list of current and planned global deployment locations is tracked on a public Google Maps layer, giving you a clear picture of the scope ANSMedia has in mind for this project.
You can explore the 🔗 free demo version directly on Flightsim.to, or pick up the full paid package via the 🔗 ANSMedia Store page to unlock the full global deployment roster and support the ongoing development of one of MSFS's more ambitious carrier projects.