HMS Prince of Wales is entering final preparations ahead of its major multinational deployment, Operation Highmast, reaffirming the UK’s commitment to security in both the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific regions.
Set to sail from Portsmouth on 22 April 2025, the Royal Navy’s flagship will lead a carrier strike group comprising warships, supply vessels, submarines, and aircraft. The group will first assemble off the coast of Cornwall before proceeding into the Mediterranean to conduct NATO exercises, including Neptune Strike, where the group will initially fall under NATO command.
Over the course of the eight-month deployment, approximately 4,000 UK military personnel will take part—2,500 from the Royal Navy, 592 from the Royal Air Force, and around 900 from the British Army. Twelve other nations are supporting the operation, including Norway, which is contributing a warship for the full duration.
Operation Highmast will include port visits and joint exercises with partners such as the United States, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan. The task group will also participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre off the coast of Australia, before concluding with engagements across the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing the UK’s long-term strategic interests in the region.
“This is a unique opportunity for the UK to operate in close coordination with our partners and allies in a deployment that not only shows our commitment to security and stability, but also provides an opportunity to bolster our own economy and boost British trade and exports,” said Defence Secretary John Healey MP.
The deployment will be supported by a full complement of RAF F-35B Lightning II jets embarked aboard HMS Prince of Wales. These aircraft will be used to demonstrate high-end maritime strike capabilities in partnership with NATO and regional allies.
Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard MP added: “Through this deployment of our Carrier Strike Group and 4,000 Service Personnel, we will stand firm with our allies against those who challenge the international order.”
Trade engagement is a key secondary objective, with events scheduled in Singapore, Japan, and India to promote British defence and civilian industries. The UK’s total trade with the Indo-Pacific reached £286 billion in the 12 months to September 2024, accounting for 17% of total UK trade.
This marks the first carrier-led global deployment since 2021 and comes amid increased Royal Navy presence in the Indo-Pacific through ships such as HMS Spey and HMS Tamar. The Carrier Strike Group 2025 also coincides with the Government’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Navy Lookout reporting that Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec and Spanish frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez will participate in the CSG deployment.
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along with:
🇬🇧HMS Prince of Wales, 🇬🇧HMS Dauntless, 🇬🇧HMS Richmond, 🇬🇧RFA Tidespring, 🇬🇧SSN, 🇳🇴HNoMS Roald Amundsen, 🇳🇴HNoMS Maud.
(Again, with thanks to NavyLookout for the list.)
Three all-round frigates, one destroyer and one air defence frigate. Might we be a tad light on the longer distance air defences, given the length of the deployment? I wonder if most of Dauntless’s Sylvers at least have the Aster 30s given the preponderance of CAMM/ESSM in the line up.
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Would be ideal to get a USN destroyer to tag along during the Red Sea transit just for the SM-6/SM-3 capability just in case the Houthis try something
A full complement of F35 jets? We don’t have 36 to put on POW?
24 is plenty and will be accompanied by helicopters, It is a strong show of force and unity of allies.
I would be amazed if they took 24 F35. More like a dozen
We’re sending 2 squadrons. 24 is unlikely but we’ve seen 8 consistently in 607 squadron so could be anywhere from 16-24
Who knows?
I suspect there will be a photo op in the Med with 24 F35B on the sundeck.
My guess is that they will do some kind of force generation rate trials package with a close series of take offs and then an exercise with an eNATO partner. They might all stay on board to do some damage to those throwing big sticks and stones at passing ships?
After that I would suspect we will see 16 F35B on board for the duration.
That leaves 13/4 F35B in the UK for most of the time so pilot training pipeline isn’t too interrupted….
Has Italy got F35B in operation yet? Could be a few of those do trial landing/take off in the med.
My guess would be 16 plus spars, so about 20.
We need the remaining 13 aircraft and additional aircrew before we can expand the two squadrons to 12 each and deploy 24.
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The air group will initially include two squadrons (617 and 809), each of 8 F-35B’s – total of 16. When the carrier reaches the Eastern Med (mid-May), one squadron (617?) will return to the UK, air refueled by 5 Voyager’s (It seems AirTanker had to be given advance notice as 5 is more than can normally be provided from the core fleet). For the Indo-Pacific part of the deployment, POW will have eight British F-35B’s embarked.
Why do you need 5 Voyagers to ferry 8 F-35s from the Med to Marham?
You don’t need 5 voyagers to do that ferry.
OK you’d always have a spare with a group that large. And maybe it is for three to take off and one to top the other two off?
I can’t see how 5 are needed IRL.
Where was this announced?
Or is the ship of state – leaking from the top?
There was an article in Aviation Week (in the Aerospace Daily & Defense Report) a few days ago about the government insisting that F-35 production delays wouldn’t delay UK FOC at the end of the year. It was slipped in toward the end of a paragraph about two thirds of the way down the article. It would be harder to find somewhere better to bury it.
maybe USMC F35Bs will join for the indo/SCS leg?
Correct, but apparently 24 fits the bill these days and at least looks the part. Another T45 would have been welcome.
Paul42, We have taken delivery of 35 or 36 jets, but some might still be in the US for testing and trials and there will be a good number back here in the OCU. No idea why you insist on 36 being on the deploying carrier.
900 Army? Doing what?
Filling roles the navy can’t staff
Was going to ask that too. 900 is a lot of Army folks.
I’d theorise AAC? Maybe some Apaches and Army Wildcats will go aboard?
Or maybe some Army will be exercising with RM in the LPD role?
Don’t see much point sending AAC chocolate teapot mk1’s (Wildcats) Dern, pleasure flights, sightseeing tours perhaps, or an airborne Admirals Barge ??
Gaining operational experience with a busier flight deck? Experience for AAC personnel and establishing procedures from working ship borne ala the AAC in Libya 2011? Gaining experience as a ship to shore connector for RM or embarked Army units?
Plenty of reasons the AAC might embark Wildcats. Even from a Naval perspective, whether a asset can actually fire on something may be slightly academic if you are interested in training your maintenance crews, air traffic controllers, or even just are looking for someone to simulate red forces.
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Can a drone do what the Wildcat AH1 does? If not how many Wildcats does the army need? Might there be a possibility of organic army troop lift…AAC Merlins?
Ah. That’s a possibility. Though I still question the number. That 900 must be more than AAC badged, I recall the Corps is only a couple of thousand strong, so that would be just under half for a det of Wildcst, Apache.
As far as the list goes AAC has not been mentioned.. but apparently the RAF are taking some chinooks along.. so I would imagine they needed someone to pop in the chinooks.. sounds like they may have somehow got the army to practice amphibious warfare, by using chinooks as a subtle disguise. look it’s an RAF chinook, so it cannot be amphibious warfare can it.. it’s just air Mobile land ops that happen to start from a carrier.
Similar exercise as 2021 whereby 3 Para jumped into Jordan with CSG providing theatre entry?
IIRC the Army also provided Chefs during CSG21 due to RN shortage
Could it be 17 Sport and Passtime? One of their roles (other than filling the elite sporting ranks of the Army) is port logistics… just a thought.
Would have liked to see another RFA preferably solid support ship but don’t think we have any available.
I doubt we’ll see Ft Victoria at sea again, short of a war.
I don’t know if our defense industry might be of interest to foreign countries. Do you have any ideas?
Apparently they are taking
24 F35
4 navy wildcats
Merlin unreported number
RAF chinooks ..
I do wonder if there are chinooks deployed and 900 Army personnel if someone has finally got the army to do some amphibious warfare practice..
I look forward to the RN carriers carrying air wings comprised of FAA squadrons, not RAF ones. Government really has to resource the RN properly, along with the RAF, but with the RAF flying from land bases.
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I can’t imagine a squadron of F35’s being withdrawn from the CSG, especially before transit into the red sea?!?! The CSG is threadbare as it it…and the red sea is a bloody hot zone with Houthis attacks on shipping! Why would the RAF staff (over 500) have been training and preparing for a 7 month deployment, especially given them extra leave (3-4 weeks) just before deployment? I truly hope this is fake news…