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US Marine Corps F-35B stealth jets have landed, refuelled, and launched from the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales during its flagship deployment of 2025.
The high-profile operations took place ahead of Exercise Talisman Sabre, a large multinational military exercise in the Indo-Pacific.
The activity marks a key milestone in Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy’s principal carrier deployment of the year. Led by HMS Prince of Wales, the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is on an eight-month mission that will take it from the Mediterranean through the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Rim. The deployment is intended to demonstrate the UK’s enduring commitment to Indo-Pacific security, freedom of navigation, and joint operations with regional partners.
The arrival of the CSG in Singapore in late June marked the start of a series of strategic port visits across South-East Asia. HMS Prince of Wales entered Marina Bay cruise terminal under overcast skies, her flight deck lined with F-35B jets and Merlin helicopters. Accompanying the carrier were HMS Dauntless, RFA Tidespring, Norway’s HNoMS Roald Amundsen, and New Zealand’s HMNZS Te Kaha — part of a growing coalition of like-minded maritime nations operating together in the region.
While HMS Prince of Wales docked in Singapore, sister ships HMS Richmond and Spain’s SPS Méndez Núñez visited Jakarta, Indonesia. Meanwhile, Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, completing the distributed public phase of the operation’s Southeast Asian engagement.
In each capital, the group is promoting the strategic goals of Operation Highmast: asserting regional security partnerships, supporting the rules-based international order, and showcasing British defence capabilities. Events have included public performances by the Royal Marines Band Service, ceremonial receptions, and joint training sessions with host navies.
The Royal Navy’s own account of the Singapore stop noted that “the ships of the multinational naval group are spread across the region for their first major public visit of the Operation Highmast deployment” and that the deployment demonstrates the UK’s “commitment to the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.”