Commodore Steve Moorhouse, Commander UK Carrier Strike Group, has said that jets flying from aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth are currently carrying out most of the missions to wipe out the remnants of Islamic State.
The aircraft carrier started anti-Islamic State operations on June the 18th.
“At the moment, we’re taking on the lion’s share of that operation over Iraq, which is a fantastic, say, feather in our cap. But an achievement that ‘A’, we’re trusted and ‘B’, that we’re able to do that,” Moorhouse told reporters Sunday.
We earlier reported that the carrier was to take part in the fight against Islamic State.
Moorhouse also mentioned in regular encounters with Russian ships and aircraft.
“We’re rubbing up against Russian activity, not in a you know, in a dangerous or aggressive manner, but you’ve just got other people out here playing in what is a fixed piece of water and airspace. But there is a reality when you buy yourself a fifth-generation aircraft carrier and you take it around the world, people are interested in it.”
Captain James Blackmore said British and Russian pilots have come within “visual distance” of each other.
“It’s that cat-and-mouse posturing, it’s what we expect in this region of world. And as you can imagine, it’s the first time for F-35s into the eastern Mediterranean,” said Blackmore.
“So, of course Russia wants to look at what they’re like, they want to look at what our carriers are like.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth and her carrier strike group will remain in the eastern Mediterranean for two to three weeks before moving through the Suez Canal to contonbue with her deployment to the far east.
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.
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.
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 Russians are probably baffled. An aircraft carrier ? Where are the tugboats and the plumes of black smoke from the funnel !
There was me thinking Israel had F35s…
… and we actually deployed our F-35Bs to Akrotiri previously too. Perhaps they really are invisible which is making them tough to keep track of 😉
Lol, just shows you can’t believe anything you read IMO! But we knew that already.
Nope, no problem at all with the article. It’s the quote about F35 please see my reply below.
“It’s that cat-and-mouse posturing, it’s what we expect in this region of world. And as you can imagine, it’s the first time for F-35s into the eastern Mediterranean,” said Blackmore.
‘it’s the first time for F-35s into the eastern Mediterranean,” said Blackmore”
Skippers mistake not articles. He should/meant F35B not F35.
Pilots and crew training up. What’s not to like?
Are the marines flying combat ops or is it just UK planes?
Are they being treated as seperate squadrons or integrated?
Both:
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/first-combat-missions-flown-from-hms-queen-elizabeth/
Cheers had missed that
I wonder if it’s visual range on a tupolev backfire with its giant anti ship firework