Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless accompanies the carrier, with more than 1,200 British personnel deployed across the group. The force will work with allies including Norway, Denmark and Germany.
The embarked air group combines fifth-generation F-35 fighters with Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters, Merlin Mk4 Commando helicopters, Wildcats and Malloy drones. The Royal Navy said the deployment would support the security of energy, trade and communications links in the region.
The strike group will operate under NATO command and contribute to the alliance’s enhanced vigilant activity. Its programme includes Neptune Strike, which tests coordination between allied land, sea and air forces across Europe and the North Atlantic.
“The deployment of the HMS Prince of Wales and her air wing to the High North and the North Atlantic, operating under NATO leadership, is a clear demonstration of the UK’s commitment to the Alliance and contribution to the enduring security and stability of the North Atlantic,” said Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones. The deployment’s stated priorities are operational readiness, interoperability and preparation to respond to regional challenges.
Commodore Richard Hewitt commands the UK Carrier Strike Group. He said the force would use the deployment to deepen its integration with NATO allies and partners.
“I am delighted to return to the Arctic and North Atlantic as we build on the successes of the first phase of Op Firecrest,” Hewitt said. “Led by the UK Flagship HMS Prince of Wales, the Strike Group will bring together a range of assets and capabilities, while taking every opportunity to train, operate and integrate with our NATO Allies and Partners.”
HMS Prince of Wales will also host military and political leaders in Oslo for the Atlantic Future Forum and International Sea Power Conference. The meetings will bring together defence leaders, industry representatives and policymakers to discuss Northern European and wider Euro-Atlantic security.
Other British forces supporting NATO include Typhoon fighters defending Romanian airspace and RAF P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft patrolling the Baltic Sea. An approximately 800-strong British battlegroup is also stationed in Estonia.
The Royal Navy separately reiterated the UK’s plan to join NATO’s Dual Capable Aircraft nuclear mission with F-35A fighters, as confirmed in the Defence Investment Plan. That commitment concerns a different role from the F-35 operations aboard HMS Prince of Wales.
