At its peak, the wider task group involved more than 4,500 personnel, including around 600 from the RAF, 900 from the British Army and 2,500 from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Supporting ships included HMS Dauntless, HMS Richmond, an Astute-class submarine and Allied escorts from Canada, Spain and Norway, forming what Defence described as a visible demonstration of unity at sea.
Across the deployment, the RAF contributed 1,389 personnel, moved 596,498 kilograms of cargo and operated 42 aircraft, including Typhoon FGR4, Voyager, P-8 Poseidon, Rivet Joint, MQ-9 Reaper and F-35B Lightning. Over 500 flight hours were delivered on sorties supporting the carrier group, with personnel operating from bases in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Greece, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Oman, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, the UAE and the United States.
Air power integration was central to the mission, with two full UK F-35B Lightning squadrons embarking on HMS Prince of Wales for the first time. They operated alongside Typhoon, P-8 Poseidon and the Air Mobility Force, which kept the carrier group supplied through Voyager air-to-air refuelling and A400M Atlas and C-17 Globemaster transport flights. Defence officials said this level of combined 4th- and 5th-generation capability reflected the UK’s progress toward a connected, multi-domain force.
Operation Highmast featured major exercises across three continents, including Exercise Med Strike, which brought together 21 warships, 3 submarines, 41 fast jets and more than 8,000 personnel in the Mediterranean. In the Middle East, Voyager tankers forward-based at RAF Akrotiri enabled sustained carrier operations across the Red Sea and Gulf, while RAF personnel joined 17 partner nations in Australia for Exercise Talisman Sabre. Further activity included Operation Hightower with the Republic of Korea and Japan, Exercise Bersama Lima in Malaysia and Exercise Falcon Strike with the Italian Air Force.
Air Marshal Allan Marshall, Air and Space Commander, said: “Over the past eight months, the Royal Air Force has delivered a truly global contribution through Operation Highmast from the UK to the Mediterranean, across the Middle East and deep into the Indo-Pacific. This has been a sustained demonstration of reach, resilience and relevance: projecting air and space power, strengthening partnerships and reaffirming the UK’s commitment to regional security. The success of Highmast speaks to the professionalism and determination of every person involved.”
RAF leaders highlighted the people behind the deployment, citing the aircrew, engineers, logisticians and support staff who enabled operations across demanding climates and time zones. They said their professionalism and adaptability kept the mission on tempo and underpinned the carrier group’s ability to operate at distance.
Officials added that Operation Highmast reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to NATO and global security while strengthening links with partners beyond the alliance. They said the experience gained will guide future missions and ensure the UK and its allies remain ready to respond to evolving threats with confidence and resilience.
As the Carrier Strike Group returns home, the RAF said the partnerships and lessons developed on Highmast will help shape the next phase of UK global operations. They noted that the deployment showed the RAF working as part of a joint and allied force can project credible air power around the world.
