A news report from Kang Seung-woo of Korea Times says HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group are likely to reach South Korea in August.
According to the report:
“In April, the Ministry of National Defense here announced the British aircraft carrier’s visit to IKorea along with the U.K. F-35Bs as part of the Royal Navy’s efforts to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, but the U.S. participation was not made public.
Meanwhile, the arrival of the carrier with its F-35Bs comes at a time when Korea is working on building its own 30,000-ton light aircraft carrier for deployment by 2033, which has raised calls for additional purchases of the stealth jets.
Also, this year’s port call will mark the third visit to Korea by British aircraft carriers. The U.K. previously sent light aircraft carriers to Busan in 1992 and 1997.”
The naval task force will make a port call in Busan before proceeding to Japan.
What is the UK Carrier Strike Group doing?
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the deployed flag ship for Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21), a deployment that will see the ship and her escorts sail to the Asia-Pacific and back.
CSG21 will see the ship along with the Strike Group work with over 40 countries from around the world. The Strike Group will operate and exercise with other countries Navies and Air Forces during the 7 month deployment.
The Carrier Strike Group includes ships from the United States Navy, the Dutch Navy, and Marines from the US Marine Corps. As well as British frigates, destroyers, a submarine, two RFA supply ships and air assets from 617 Sqn, 820 NAS, 815 NAS and 845 NAS. This is the largest deployment of Fifth Generation Fighter Jets at sea in history.
Are we expecting trouble then ?
I doubt it. It’s called diplomacy.
Not so sure with you as there are bad things happening in the Black Sea and Spain just tried to sink one of our ships too, it’s all getting out of hand and half our ships are thousands of miles away.
I think we have a comedian. Not bad but don’t forget to change the material.
Can already hear the Chicoms crying how this will destabilize the entire region blah blah blah.
Excellent news, if we’re shifting to an “East of Suez” viewpoint then South Korea are a fantastic ally to have.
The latest designs for their light carrier just went on display at their national defence Expo, and they’re now pushing 45k Te with twin islands and a ski ramp. There’ll be a fair few interested Korean admirals looking around HMSQNLZ in August!
The Falklands now receiving more medeia attention , may bring about a support from Ras Putin who loves to involve his country in clandestine actions by offering weaponry sysytems for naval port base facilities
The carrier force in tne Korean peninusla may aggravate Kim din dong ,but would look to China for some support.
Time will tell a chess board played out on the worlds stage.
It’s the Royal Navies job to enforce International Waters Law on the Chinese Government and to let them know that International Waters is free from any one nation so global shipping can maintain its current routes. The Chinese Government have disregarded these International laws and gone ahead and built artificial Islands near the coordinates of natural resources it’s illegally claimed from the sea bed. The South China Sea may include the name China but its not their territory. It’s historical international waters. 1/5 of global shipping uses the South China Sea. Also China has made radical claims on the independent… Read more »
South Korean will have a F-35 carrier
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41014/south-korea-is-looking-at-building-a-war-bigger-carrier-than-we-thought
Hyundai and Daewoo in competition.
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