British Navy Carrier Strike Group with F-35Bs Fighter Jets Validates Operational Skills in Joint NATO Drills.

The British Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG), spearheaded by the British Navy HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier and cutting-edge F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jets, has entered a critical phase of its 2025 global deployment with the launch of Exercise Med Strike. This major moment marks a significant escalation in Operation Highmast, the UK’s headline mission for 2025, and serves as a pivotal test of interoperability and combat readiness alongside NATO allies.
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F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jets prepare for operations from the deck of the British Navy HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier as the UK Carrier Strike Group validates its operational skills with NATO allies. (Picture source: British Royal Navy)

The deployment of the F-35B—an advanced fifth-generation fighter with stealth, supersonic capability, and short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) performance—embodies the British Royal Navy’s leap into modern maritime air power. These fighter jets, operated by joint British RAF (Royal Air Force) and Royal Navy squadrons from the flight deck of the British Navy HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, are central to the UK’s ability to conduct precision strike missions and integrate seamlessly with allied air forces.

Exercise Med Strike, which runs from May 5 to May 11, 2025, in the Ionian Sea between Sicily and Taranto, brings together a formidable array of NATO forces for an intensive week of naval drills. A total of 21 warships, three submarines, 41 fast jets, 19 helicopters, 10 maritime patrol aircraft, and over 8,000 personnel are converging in a demonstration of joint maritime strength and cooperation. The UK’s CSG, built around a powerful multinational coalition, is joined by the Italian Navy’s Carrier Strike Group led by ITS Cavour, with both nations focusing on anti-submarine warfare tactics and advanced strike operations. This collaboration illustrates not only the strength of bilateral ties but the broader cohesion of NATO in the face of modern security challenges.

According to Commodore James Blackmore, Commander UK Carrier Strike Group, this phase of the deployment reflects the strategic weight of NATO’s maritime arm: “This is a major moment in the UK Carrier Strike Group’s global deployment and will test our skills alongside NATO allies in a region of fundamental importance to UK security. It is with great pride that we begin operations in the Mediterranean. I know UK and allied service personnel on the warships and aircraft of the Strike Group stand ready to deliver. Working at the heart of a powerful NATO force sends a strong message and shows clearly the phenomenal capabilities that not only the UK possesses but the alliance as a whole.”

This intensive training phase follows the CSG’s participation in Exercise Neptune Strike, a NATO-led mission demonstrating the alliance’s capability to conduct integrated operations across the Euro-Atlantic region. During that exercise, the UK force operated under NATO command alongside contributions from Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Türkiye, and the United States. The UK CSG’s ability to quickly integrate into NATO-led structures underlines its role as a core pillar of allied maritime strategy.

The UK Carrier Strike Group is inherently multinational, with Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez and Norwegian support ships HNoMS Maud and Roald Amundsen sailing in concert with British Royal Navy vessels. This blending of platforms and personnel enhances mutual understanding and boosts operational synergy across the force.

Operation Highmast reflects a comprehensive approach to global engagement. From now until December, the CSG will conduct exercises with allied forces across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Australia. These operations are designed not only to strengthen military alliances but also to promote stability and safeguard the rules-based international order in regions vital to UK interests.

With over 4,500 British personnel involved—comprising 2,500 British Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines, 600 British RAF (Royal Air Force) personnel, and 900 British Army troops—this deployment is among the most complex and far-reaching military commitments undertaken by the UK since the end of the Cold War. As geopolitical tensions continue to rise, the ability to project power and maintain interoperability with allies has never been more essential.

The 2025 deployment, significantly more expansive than the UK’s first carrier strike mission in 2021, showcases how Britain is adapting to an increasingly volatile global landscape. At its heart is a message of resolve: the UK and its allies remain committed to collective security, freedom of navigation, and the projection of stability across the world’s critical maritime domains.