HMS Queen Elizabeth sets out for first sea trials

Britain's most expensive warship will head into open water for the first time today - with the Russians expected to try and shadow its every move, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Fiona Percival, head of logistics on the ship, said they are prepared for the 65,000-ton aircraft carrier to draw foreign attention when it slips out of Rosyth dockyard in Scotland.

"[The Russians] will come and look, but they look at everything," she told the paper.

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The Sunday Times reports Russian subs will try to record the "acoustic signature" - the unique sound the HMS Queen Elizabeth makes underwater.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of two new aircraft carriers being constructed in the yard, is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy, the BBC reports. "Her flightdeck alone is the size of three football pitches."

In service, the ship can operate with 1,000 crew and 40 aircraft.

With a length of more than 918ft in length and a top speed above 25 knots (around 28mph), it will be the centrepiece of Britain's maritime capability, The Sun says.

However, the arrival of the new carrier comes as the Navy is facing a budget black hole of about £500m each year, the Telegraph says. Critics claim the ships are expensive white elephants that are too vulnerable to new high-speed missiles.

There are also doubts whether the £3.5bn cost of the vessel will leave the Royal Navy able to afford enough fighters for it, The Guardian reports.

The plan is for the HMS Queen Elizabeth to spend six weeks on sea trials in the North Sea then return to Rosyth for adjustments prior to sailing to its home port, Portsmouth, later this year. The carrier is expected to be operational in 2020, when it will be bound for destinations ranging from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea, adds the Guardian.