Aircraft embarked aboard Royal Navy (RN) vessels during the UK’s recently concluded Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG25) deployment logged more than a combined 2,500 sorties, the service says.
Also referred to as Operation Highmast, the almost eight-month-long activity came to an end on 30 November, when the RN’s flagship – the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales – returned to its home base at Portsmouth, Hampshire.
At the peak of the manoeuvres, there were a maximum of 26 Lockheed Martin F-35Bs from the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) 617 Sqn and the RN’s 809 Naval Air Squadron embarked aboard the 65,000t vessel.
The carrier air wing also included Leonardo Helicopters Merlin HM2 anti-submarine warfare and Crowsnest-variant airborne early warning and control assets, along with Leonardo Wildcat HMA2 rotorcraft.
The RN’s 700X uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) trials unit also took part in the deployment, equipped with Malloy Aeronautics T-150 resupply drones. More than 50 UAS landings were conducted onto Prince of Wales throughout the exercise, the service says.
Other highlights included the UK’s short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs conducting “cross-deck” activities aboard aircraft carriers from three other nations: Italy’s ITS Cavour, Japan’s JS Kaga and the US Navy’s USS America.
During the Asia-Pacific leg of the CSG25 voyage, exercises were conducted alongside the militaries of India, Japan and Australia.
The final deployed UK jets returned to their home base at RAF Marham in Norfolk on 28 November.
The carrier’s return follows the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) 17 November declaration that its carrier strike force had achieved full operational capability status.
“HMS Prince of Wales and her strike group will drastically increase NATO’s lethality and readiness,” the MoD said. “For the first time, NATO will have a carrier strike group under its command with the most advanced fifth-generation fighters.”
That capability is due to next be demonstrated during the NATO exercise Steadfast Defender during 2027, with a multinational task force to deploy to the “High North”.
Meanwhile, multiple other RAF assets were also flown in support of the maritime force during the CGS25 deployment. Those included Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, Airbus Defence & Space A330 Voyager tanker/transports and A400M tactical airlifters, Boeing C-17 strategic transports, P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic intelligence-gatherers, and its now-retired remotely piloted General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reapers.