HMS Prince of Wales is back in Portsmouth after three months on NATO’s Northern Flank, having flown the alliance’s Iceland air policing mission from her deck in a European first, with F-35Bs reaching as far as Poland.

The UK Carrier Strike Group has completed the first phase of its 2026 deployment to the Arctic and North Atlantic, the Royal Navy stated.

Led by HMS Prince of Wales with the destroyer HMS Duncan, the tanker RFA Tidespring and an air wing of F-35B jets, helicopters and uncrewed systems, the group has spent three months on Operation Firecrest working along NATO’s Northern Flank. Prince of Wales and Duncan returned to Portsmouth today for leave and maintenance before the deployment resumes in the autumn in northern European waters.

According to the Royal Navy, the group delivered NATO’s Air Policing mission to safeguard the skies of Iceland and the Arctic from incursions by Russian aircraft, the first time that mission has been flown by aircraft launched from the deck of a European aircraft carrier. The group also delivered NATO’s Arctic Sentry enhanced vigilance activity.

Minister for the Armed Forces Louise Sandher-Jones was quoted in the press release as saying: “I had the pleasure of seeing first-hand the professionalism, skill and dedication of our Armed Forces personnel serving in our Carrier Strike Group as they worked alongside NATO allies to keep the North Atlantic secure.” She added: “Over the past three months, the Carrier Strike Group has been at the forefront of NATO’s defence of the Northern Flank, deterring Russian activity, protecting NATO airspace, and training with allies to make sure we are ready to respond, whenever and wherever we are needed. This is NATO-first in action, with our Armed Forces working around the clock to keep the UK and our allies safe.”

The first half of the deployment closed with Exercise Neptune Strike, which brought ten NATO allies together across air, sea and land in the Atlantic. The exercise focused on the strike group delivering long-range air strikes with the F-35Bs of 809 Naval Air Squadron, which used an RAF Voyager and an Italian 767 tanker to extend their reach and fly sorties not only over the North Atlantic but as far as Poland. The ships concentrated on surface and underwater work, supported by Merlin and Wildcat helicopters and reinforced by the frigate HMS Somerset and a French destroyer.

Commodore Richard Hewitt, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, was quoted in the press release as saying: “Over the past three months, we have proven the UK Carrier Strike Group capabilities over and over again, committing this capability to NATO and demonstrating our determination to defend NATO’s Northern flank.” He continued: “We have shown how we can generate, sustain and when called upon, defend our NATO and JEF allies against unwanted threats in the High North and North Atlantic. Neptune Strike has been a successful finish, demonstrating our capability and supporting NATO deterrence across the Euro-Atlantic.”

Commodore Donald Mackinnon, Assistant Chief of Staff of Operations at NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk, was quoted as saying: “Neptune Strike 26-3 demonstrates NATO’s ability to integrate maritime, air, land and multinational forces across one of the Alliance’s most strategically significant regions.” He added: “Operating in the High North and North Atlantic strengthens our readiness, reinforces interoperability among Allies, and ensures we can command and synchronise multi-domain operations as required.”

Since sailing in April the group has worked with 19 allies from NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force. The deployment took in combined aviation operations with 18 NATO allies during Exercise Ramstein Flag, submarine hunting on the NATO exercise Dynamic Mongoose, and an Anglo-Norwegian test of helicopter, missile and fast attack boat tactics in the confined waters of the fjords during the JEF’s Exercise Tamber Shield.

The ships most recently called at Iceland, where the group hosted the Defence Secretary alongside Iceland’s Foreign Minister and Defence Director ahead of NATO’s summit in Ankara. Prince of Wales also visited Stavanger in Norway, while Duncan called at Bergen, Aarhus in Denmark and her affiliated city of Dundee.