British Navy HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group with F-35 Fighter Jets Declared Combat Ready by NATO.

According to a British Royal Navy statement published on November 17, 2025, NATO has declared the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group fully combat-ready, with embarked F-35B jets. The certification confirms that the UK task group can conduct sustained high-tempo operations with allied forces.

The British Royal Navy confirmed on November 17, 2025, that its HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group has been officially declared combat-ready by NATO following an intensive maritime air exercise in the Mediterranean. Royal Navy officials said the carrier, its F-35 B Lightning II air wing, and escort ships met all requirements for Full Operating Capability, including consistent sortie generation, layered air defense integration, and reliable command and control. With the certification now complete, the UK task group joins NATO’s ready forces for rapid deployment during high-end operations.
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British Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales launches F-35B stealth fighters during NATO Exercise Falcon Strike 2025, marking the largest fifth-generation jet deployment aboard a UK carrier and confirming full combat readiness of the UK Carrier Strike Group. (Picture source: British Royal Navy)

Over the course of Exercise Falcon Strike, the British Royal Navy HMS Prince of Wales integrated 24 fifth-generation F-35B stealth fighter jets, marking the largest concentration of such aircraft ever deployed aboard a UK carrier. Operating from the central Mediterranean, these aircraft executed nearly 50 coordinated strike and defense sorties alongside NATO allies, including Italy, France, Greece, and the United States. With missions spanning deep strike, air interdiction, and anti-ship defense, the exercise tested the air wing’s capability across the full spectrum of modern combat scenarios.

The F-35Bs aboard HMS Prince of Wales demonstrated integrated sensor fusion, distributed lethality, and stealth penetration roles in both contested and denied environments. Sorties included simulated suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), low-altitude maritime strike, and defensive counter-air missions to protect high-value units within the Carrier Strike Group. Night operations and multinational data-link integration confirmed the aircraft's readiness to conduct 24/7 NATO tasking.

Crucially, the exercises validated the seamless interoperability of NATO’s fifth-generation aircraft operating from a British flattop. Italian F-35Bs cross-decked with their British counterparts, with shared mission planning and synchronized strike packages launched from HMS Prince of Wales. This served as a powerful demonstration of alliance combat cohesion in a European theater increasingly shaped by hybrid threats and near-peer adversaries.

Falcon Strike also stressed the full naval architecture of the UK-led Carrier Strike Group. The task force included the Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, and Norway’s Roald Amundsen frigate. These escorts provided layered air defense, anti-submarine warfare coverage, and cooperative engagement capability through NATO’s Link 16 and Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) systems. HMS Dauntless, though briefly engaged in the exercise, continued patrols with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), maintaining a persistent maritime presence in the eastern Mediterranean.

The culmination of Falcon Strike marks more than just an exercise milestone. It signifies the operational maturing of HMS Prince of Wales as a full-spectrum NATO asset. Unlike her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, which led the 2021 global Carrier Strike deployment, HMS Prince of Wales has now proven her combat integration not only within UK forces but also as a central node in NATO's joint maritime strike capability.

This Full Operating Capability declaration follows an eight-month global voyage for the UK Carrier Strike Group. Operations included complex engagements in the Indo-Pacific alongside Japanese, South Korean, and Australian forces. The return to Europe for a NATO-led exercise underscores the carrier’s dual strategic orientation. It projects power in the Indo-Pacific while reinforcing European security in light of Russia’s continuing aggression in Ukraine.

HMS Prince of Wales represents more than a symbol of British maritime resurgence. It now functions as a high-readiness, fifth-generation strike platform, with the agility to deploy globally and conduct joint, combined-arms operations at scale. Designed with twin-island architecture, electromagnetic aircraft launch compatibility, and digital command suites, the 65,000-ton warship offers a future-proofed hub for coalition air power, amphibious operations, and unmanned systems integration.

As NATO confronts simultaneous challenges in the Baltic, Black Sea, and Eastern Mediterranean, HMS Prince of Wales stands ready not only as a deterrent asset but as a warfighting centerpiece in any joint task force. The successful deployment of 24 F-35Bs, integrated into allied kill chains and fused with NATO sensor networks, affirms the carrier’s strategic relevance in the alliance’s evolving concept of operations.

With Falcon Strike complete and Full Operating Capability confirmed, HMS Prince of Wales enters the frontline inventory of NATO’s high-readiness force pool. It is now positioned to lead future strike missions, crisis response operations, and joint air-maritime campaigns, with an unmatched level of airpower integration in Europe.

The UK’s investment in carrier-enabled power projection has now paid operational dividends. With the British Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales UK Carrier Strike Group declared combat-ready, NATO gains a formidable tool for deterrence and defense amid rising strategic competition.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.