Italian F-35B fighters join British carrier HMS Prince of Wales over Mediterranean.

Italian F-35B Lightning II aircraft have embarked on the British carrier HMS Prince of Wales for Exercise Neptune Strike 2025 in the Mediterranean. The joint deployment highlights deepening UK-Italy defense ties and NATO’s commitment to integrated carrier operations.

Imagery released by the Royal Navy and NATO this week shows Italian F-35B Lightning II aircraft operating from HMS Prince of Wales during Exercise Neptune Strike 2025, marking another step in European carrier integration. The deployment, part of Carrier Strike Group 25’s eight-month Operation Highmast voyage from the Atlantic through the Indo-Pacific, underscores the UK’s and Italy’s expanding cooperation in fifth-generation air power and NATO maritime projection.
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 Italian F-35B Fighters embark on board British Carrier HMS Prince of Wales (Picture source: UK MoD)

The arrival of Italian aircraft comes as HMS Prince of Wales returns from an extended period in the Indo-Pacific, marked by successive port calls and combined activities with the regional partners. Around 4,500 British personnel are involved in the deployment, including roughly 600 aircrew and support staff from the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm, 900 soldiers, and approximately 2,500 sailors and Royal Marines. The group is used to sustain a prolonged British naval and air presence while bringing European allies into long-range operations.

Rome’s decision to embark aircraft on the British carrier fits into a capability trajectory that has been under way for more than a decade. Italy has ordered a total of 30 F-35B aircraft, within an overall programme of 90 F-35s combining F-35A and F-35B variants, endorsed in the 2012 budget decisions and later confirmed in 2017. The first Italian F-35B units are delivered between 2015 and 2018, and cumulative programme costs are reported at around 14 billion euros in figures communicated to the Italian Parliament, a number that remains subject to subsequent adjustments. Further batches are planned for delivery into the early 2030s, with aircraft distributed between the Marina Militare and the Aeronautica Militare, which share employment of the STOVL variant in a joint arrangement that is unusual within NATO.

On the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales, the Italian F-35B Lightning II (F-35B) presents the same combination of low-observable design, sensors, and STOVL performance as its British counterpart. The aircraft is equipped with the AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar, the electro-optical targeting system, and the AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare suite, enabling detection, classification and engagement of targets in contested airspace. With weapons carried internally, the combat radius is in the order of 450 to 500 nautical miles, which supports a broad set of mission profiles without external pylons.

HMS Prince of Wales, the second carrier of the Queen Elizabeth class, displaces about 65,000 tonnes and can embark up to 36 F-35B aircraft in a maximum air wing configuration. It's two separate islands divide navigation and flight control functions, improving resilience of deck operations, while the large hangar and side elevators support a relatively high sortie rate. In the current configuration, roughly two dozen British aircraft are embarked, now joined by Italian F-35Bs for combined short take-off, vertical landing, and maintenance cycles.

The F-35B STOVL Lightning II is the only current fighter design that combines low observability, supersonic flight and short take-off with vertical landing. This performance relies on the F135 engine coupled with the patented LiftFan system, which provides vertical lift and addresses the thermal and power challenges that limited earlier direct-lift concepts. The reconfigurable internal weapons bay can carry air-to-ground munitions, air-to-air missiles, or a mix of both, and a missionised 25 mm GAU-22A cannon can be installed when required. When radar stealth is not a priority, external pylons enable a total weapons load exceeding 15,000 pounds, which places the F-35B in the multirole category with a wide employment envelope.

Neptune Strike provides a framework for testing the convergence of equipment and procedures on a multinational basis. Under NATO command, HMS Prince of Wales and the Italian carrier Cavour operate alongside air groups, surface combatants, submarines, and long-range assets from allied states. Embarked F-35Bs carry out maritime strike, air defence, and land-attack scenarios while feeding command-and-control networks through Link 16 and on-board data fusion. The combined presence contributes to alliance coherence in areas where naval activity remains a visible element of deterrence and reassurance.

At the political and strategic level, the sight of Italian and British F-35Bs parked on the same deck sends a clear signal at regional scale. In the Mediterranean, it highlights that European allies still generate carrier-based air power at a time when attention is drawn to other theatres. In the Indo-Pacific, following several months of Operation Highmast, it indicates that European navies intend to maintain a recurring presence beyond their immediate neighbourhood. For the allied capitals, this pattern of cooperation shows how a converging carrier aviation architecture can support shared security interests while anchoring Europe more firmly within the broader balance of power.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.