Royal Navy: "Phenomenally successful" HMS Prince of Wales exercise ends after trials with USS Harry S Truman

Exercise Strike Warrior in the North Sea concluded on Friday after HMS Prince of Wales - alongside the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) - worked alongside the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman and other ships. F-35B fighter jets launched from the 65,000 tonne carrier’s flight deck, joining American pilots taking the helm of F/A-18 Super Hornets and an E/A-18G Growler.

A flypast was carried out over both naval groups of Nato allies, with US Strike Group Commander Rear Admiral Sean Bailey being hosted aboard HMS Prince of Wales. Captain John Cromie, Deputy Commander of the UKCSG, said: “Strike Warrior has delivered a short and intense period of training for the UK Carrier Strike Group, testing the group all the way from individual responses to a fire or flood through to complex long-range F-35B missions involving live weapon drops in support of Royal Marines ashore.

“Throughout the Strike Group has taken the opportunity to work alongside NATO partners participating in activity concurrent to Strike Warrior, confirming our procedures and interoperability with key Allies and demonstrating the UK’s continued and absolute commitment to NATO.”

The UKCSG - where HMS Prince of Wales was joined by associated air wing, escorts, supporting vessels and nearly 2,000 personnel - has been training at sea ahead of undertaking a global deployment to the Indo-Pacific region in 2025. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has called for more Royal Navy patrols in the Pacific Ocean to combat influence from China. Lightning jets from the UK’s new front-line strike fighter unit, 809 Naval Air Squadron, have been training for strike missions that has included the dropping of live ordnance onto the Cape Wrath range in Scotland.

The exercise scenario was choreographed by the UK’s Joint Training and Exercise Planning Staff based in the Royal Navy Warfighting Centre at HMNB Portsmouth. The activity of the Strike Group during the scenario being directed by the staff of Headquarters UK Carrier Strike Group, embarked in HMS Prince of Wales. Exercise Strike Warrior also saw Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, elements of the Army and RAF, and Nato warships from Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and the UK, join forces for air and naval tests in challenging tactical situations.

The RAF supported the strike group’s anti-submarine defence unit through Poseidon P8 maritime patrol aircraft, with other Nato aircraft being supported by F-35s - defending the strike group from aerial threats. Participating ships conducted their own training between these large scale set-piece activities. This included fighting fires and floods, dealing with mock casualties and replenishment at sea trials. All of this was to prepare the individuals and the collective group for global deployments.

Since leaving Portsmouth last month, HMS Prince of Wales’ aircraft have conducted 71 sorties - attacks from defensive positions - accounting for 210 hours of airborne time. The live ordinance exercise where four Paveway bombs were dropped on the Cape Wrath range. Commander Nick Smith, 809 Naval Air Squadron’s Commanding Officer, said the maiden embarkation had been “phenomenally successful”, laying “firm foundations” for when his F-35s re-join the task group in 2025 on its first deployment.

He said: “The training teams have surpassed their targets with 19 pilots completing carrier qualifications within the first weeks of the deployment and flight deck teams receiving their authorisations to safely operate on the deck, both day and night. Our integration has also spread beyond the ship, demonstrated by the successful release of live weapons on targets at Cape Wrath; weapons prepared by the ship’s company, loaded and delivered by 809 NAS and 617 Squadron engineers and pilots, controlled by Royal Marine Commandos on the ground.”

HMS Prince of Wales’ Commanding Officer, Captain Will Blackett, said the exercise was “hard work” but all for the benefit of the ship’s company. He added: “We have made huge strides – from improving our ability to deal with emergencies internal to the ship, to refining task group defensive tactics, all the way through to accurately delivering live munitions on simulated targets at reach. This ship is amazing – and my people are even better.”

Able Seaman Thomas Fobbester worked in the operations room of the carrier, describing it as a “very valuable learning experience”. “This is my first Ship and first time getting involved in this sort of thing. Camaraderie with the lads has been a key point,” he added. “The air defence exercises have been the best, as the highest activity for me, but there’s also a lot of time living and working with the same people so getting to know them during our downtime has been really good.” Further training will be conducted in UK waters before the UKCSG deploys in 2025.