Royal Navy: Pivotal first step of HMS Prince of Wales major North Sea deployment completed

HMS Prince of Wales left HMNB Portsmouth on Saturday and is set to sail up to Scotland later this month. Personnel will be pushed to their limits on Exercise Strike Warrior, where the 65,000 warship will be at the head of a the UK Carrier Strike Group.

Aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters, will be carrying out a range of exercises. Before the journey to Scotland can commence, pilots and air wing personnel will be starting flight tests in Cornwall. New recruits will be qualifying to operate on an aircraft carrier for the first time.

The UK Carrier Strike Group X account issued the first update, with the F-35B fighter jets assembling on the flight deck. It was a big moment for the 815 Naval Air Squadron, which operates Wildcat HMA Mk 2 helicopters. They landed on HMS Prince of Wales for the first time yesterday afternoon (September 30).

“Punching harder & further, the F-35B has arrived,” the UK Carrier Strike Group X account said. “These state of the art F-35B jets will be putting the "Strike" in #StrikeWarrior later this month after carrier qualifications. The newly stood up 809NAS have - for the first time - just landed on an aircraft carrier.”

Exercises in Scotland will involve a multinational task force of ships, with various aircraft and equipment being tested. This is all in preparation for HMS Prince of Wales’ deployment next year to Japan and the Indo-Pacific region, where a UK Carrier Strike Group will be formed with different international personnel.