Breaking News: First Joint Operation of U.S. and UK Navies Dual Aircraft Carriers in Talisman Sabre 2025.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the largest bilateral training event between the U.S. and Australia, includes 19 participating nations and over 35,000 personnel. The dual carrier operation was a central highlight, signifying a strategic leap in coalition naval readiness, high-end warfare interoperability, and power projection. This unprecedented deployment of U.S. and UK aircraft carriers in a synchronized combat-ready posture sends a powerful message of unity, deterrence, and forward presence in a strategically vital region.
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U.S. Navy USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group conducts dual carrier operations with British Royal Navy HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group in the Timor Sea during Exercise Talisman Sabre on July 18, 2025. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

Sailing alongside a formidable multinational naval force, the U.S. Navy’s USS George Washington led a carrier strike group comprising the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86). Parallel to this, the Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales operated with British naval assets including the Daring-class air-defense destroyer HMS Dauntless (D33) and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s Tide-class replenishment tanker RFA Tidespring (A136). The exercise also included allied warships from Australia, Norway, and Canada: HMAS Sydney (DDG 42), HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F311), and HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332), highlighting the multinational scale and coalition strength of this year’s iteration.

The milestone reflects a deepening of operational integration between the U.S. and UK navies, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. Aircraft from both carriers, including F/A-18E/F Super Hornets of Carrier Air Wing 5 aboard USS George Washington and F-35B Lightning II jets operating from HMS Prince of Wales, conducted combined flight operations to validate interoperability and joint tactical execution. The complex coordination of a nuclear-powered U.S. carrier and a conventionally powered British carrier, supported by an integrated escort fleet, demonstrates a significant evolution in multinational maritime strike capability.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is a nuclear-powered supercarrier of the United States Navy, commissioned in 1992 and designed to project air power globally through sustained carrier strike operations. Displacing over 100,000 tons and capable of carrying more than 75 aircraft, George Washington is equipped with advanced radar, defensive systems, and a nuclear propulsion system that enables continuous high-speed operations without refueling for over 20 years. As part of Carrier Air Wing 5, it operates F/A-18 Super Hornets, E-2D Hawkeyes, EA-18G Growlers, and MH-60 helicopters, making it a central asset in U.S. naval combat readiness and regional deterrence.

The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) is one of the most advanced conventionally powered carriers in the world and a centerpiece of the Royal Navy’s global expeditionary capability. Entering service in 2019, two Rolls-Royce Marine MT30 gas turbines power it, each producing 36 megawatts, and backed by four Wärtsilä diesel generator sets. Together, these provide over 109 megawatts of total installed power, enough to meet the vessel’s propulsion, aviation, combat systems, and future growth needs.

The HMS Prince of Wales displaces around 65,000 tons and is designed with a twin-island configuration to improve redundancy and flight deck operations. It can carry up to 40 aircraft, including F-35B STOVL stealth fighters, Merlin HM2 anti-submarine helicopters, and Royal Navy Wildcat utility helicopters. Integrated with advanced radar and combat systems, Prince of Wales is built with modularity for future upgrades, including the integration of directed energy weapons and autonomous systems. Its aviation facilities include a 280-meter flight deck with two aircraft lifts and a ski-jump ramp for F-35B operations, enabling rapid sortie generation and high-intensity flight operations. The carrier plays a critical role in NATO tasking and the UK’s Indo-Pacific strategic posture.

The growing significance of bilateral maritime exercises in the Indo-Pacific is closely linked to escalating regional challenges, particularly the People’s Republic of China’s rapid naval modernization and expansion of its indigenous aircraft carrier program. China now operates two carriers and is preparing to commission its third and most advanced platform, the Type 003 Fujian, equipped with electromagnetic catapult launch systems and a fully flat flight deck. In this evolving security context, dual-carrier operations between trusted allies like the U.S. and the UK serve not only as a demonstration of advanced maritime coordination but also as a strategic signal of allied resolve. These exercises underline a unified commitment to upholding freedom of navigation, deterring aggression, and ensuring the long-term stability of the Indo-Pacific maritime domain.