Russian bomber flies close to mighty HMS Prince of Wales with F-35B fighter jets 'scrambled' near Norway
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The Royal Navy flagship is completing the second phase of Operation Firecrest
A Russian bomber flew close to the Royal Navy flagship and her carrier group during a large Nato exercise.
The Tu-195 Bear long-range bomber was spotted near HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group while operating in the North Atlantic. British forces had joined Nato allies for a large-scale series of workouts under Exercise Neptune Strike.
This is one of Nato’s largest exercises which is spread across land, sea and air. The fourth iteration of this workout involved 17 nations who committed 20 warships and 40 aircraft. It involved three naval task groups; two in the Mediterranean under Italy and Turkey, a third under HMS Prince of Wales off Norway.
Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans joined HMS Prince of Wales for the drills, which were interrupted by the Kremlin’s military. The Royal Navy said: “The presence of such a NATO force drew the attention of the Russians and HMS Prince of Wales scrambled her F-35s to intercept a Tu-195 Bear long-range bomber.
“Otherwise, the Lightning IIs have been performing their strike role, practising loading – and ultimately dropping – live Paveway IV bombs as part of the NATO exercise.”
British ships have been actively responding to Russian activity in recent weeks. Nato forces spotted a Kilo-class attack submarine in late October. Kremlin frigate RFN Neustrashimy and spy ship Viktor Leonov were also intercepted by the Royal Navy throughout September and October.
HMS Prince of Wales is now in Oslo after a fortnight of gruelling training drills with Nato allies. The 65,000 tonne warship is currently on the second phase of Operation Firecrest, which involves various operations in the North Atlantic and High North to counteract a growing Russian presence.
At the helm of the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) alongside HMS Dauntless, the £3.2bn carrier has been utilising her aircraft alongside allied forces - aiming to make working together seamless.
The force detailed some of the workouts which took place before the Russia incident. : “Firecrest phase 2 has seen an extremely rare exercise for naval air power with the strategic arm of the US Air Force.
“The carrier’s F-35Bs took their place alongside Norwegian Air Force land-based variants, F-35As, escorting a US B-52 bomber. To expand warfighting capabilities and options, HMS Prince of Wales then loaded ammunition while she was at the military jetty in Hammernesodden, near Namsos, about 70 miles north of Trondheim.
“It’s the first time a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier has stocked up on ammo in a non-UK port, paving the way for potential operations without a solid support ship as part of the Carrier Strike Group, such as RFA Fort Victoria or one of the future Resurgent-class ships, is unavailable for resupplying.”
Various Norwegian forces protected the carrier during exercises. The country’s Home Guard were involved, with boats patrolling the fjord and heavily armed emplacements taking place on the jetty. Frigate KNM Fridtjof Nansen accompanied HMS Prince of Wales and acted as an escort. Heavily-armed Skjold-class corvettes also trained with the carrier group.
The warship will play host to various diplomatic engagements, including the Atlantic Future Forum and the International Sea Power Conference. Defence leaders, industry partners and policymakers will be brought together to discuss the future of Euro-Atlantic security.