The advanced design of the new UK aircraft carriers was much admired by US and allied naval air operators, especially in the automated systems that allow rapid sortie turn-rounds with significantly reduced crew numbers. The integration of the advanced on-board digital systems on the F-35Bs and ship systems, as well as secure communications and cyber resilience, is a complex task but the close co-operation between the UK and US teams aboard the UK carrier provided a solid baseline to further develop new systems and capabilities in the future. Invaluable experience was gained in sortie generation and mission and maintenance sustainment. The combined UK and US F-35B and F-35C Air Wings from the three carriers represented the biggest fifth-generation naval combat air gathering in the Pacific region to date. While in the Pacific, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s embarked US Marine Corps squadron of F-35Bs, VMFA-211, conducted take-off, refuelling and landing exercises with the USS America and USS Carl Vinson. The UK, US and Australia are already well into developing their operational F-35 fleets but there was much regional interest from other naval observers seeing first-hand how the F-35B models can operate alongside helicopters from small carriers to give increased tasking flexibility. (Royal Navy)Ī unique feature of this deployment was the ability to conduct joint operations and exchanges with many other F-35 operators, including those already flying with or awaiting delivery of aircraft, including the Italian, Israeli, Japanese and Singapore armed forces. Joint operationsĬSG21 featured a fully integrated carrier air wing of US and UK F-35Bs. Air refuelling from US Navy F/A-18s was carried out and the carrier’s Air Wing flew a total of 4,723hr, with 1,290 at night, and exercised with 64 different aircraft types from 17 nations. Later, in the South China Sea, the ship was subject to close interest from shadowing Chinese ships and aircraft and a high level of air missions were flown over 24hr periods demonstrating the Air Wing’s ability to provide persistent air cover and integrated data sharing with surface and underwater force assets. Some 44 combat missions were conducted in support of counter-Daesh missions over Iraq, as well as intercepts of inquisitive Russian aircraft based in Syria. Along the way, the two embarked UK and US F-35B squadrons completed 1,278 sorties and flew more than 2,200hr. This operational journey provided the first real test of the combined RN/RAF/USMC Air Wing aboard the 65,000t ship and its jet aircraft completed 3,000 deck landings, of which 1,000 were at night. It visited or worked with 42 nations and took part in 18 major exercises and reaffirmed the UK’s revived military commitment to the Asia-Pacific.

Led by the first of the Royal Navy’s new-generation aircraft carriers, the nine ships and a nuclear submarine in United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) collectively travelled over 500,000nm via the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Indian Ocean and South China Sea, to the Pacific. The homecoming of HMS Queen Elizabeth to its Portsmouth base at the end of 2021 marked the end of a pioneering seven month taskforce deployment to the Asia-Pacific region. RICHARD GARDNER reports on the inaugural deployment of the Royal Navy’s super carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in Asia-Pacific and the future of UK air power at sea.

Future royal navy carrier battle group