The Ship Model Forum

British aircraft carrier leading massive fleet off Norway
By George Allison - March 14, 202273

HMS Prince of Wales is leading a fleet composed of assault ship HMS Albion, an unnamed Astute-class nuclear submarine, destroyer HMS Defender, frigates HMS Richmond and HMS Northumberland, minehunter HMS Grimsby, tanker RFA Tidesurge, auxiliary landing ship RFA Mounts Bay in addition to over a dozen NATO warships.
Assault ship HMS Albion tweeted the following this morning.


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British aircraft carrier heading to the Arctic for NATO exercise
By George Allison - March 2, 202231
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Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will sail to take part in a NATO exercise in the Arctic with frigate HMS Richmond, destroyer HMS Defender, a tanker and an Astute-class nuclear submarine.
The Royal Navy say here in a news release that around 35,000 troops from 28 nations are expected to be involved in Cold Response, which will show how a unified multilateral force would defend Norway and Europe�s northern flank from a modern adversary.

Roughly 900 Royal Marines will spearhead the UK involvement from HMS Albion which is already in the region, the Royal Navy add.



�Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will deploy to the exercise, with frigate HMS Richmond, Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker and a nuclear-powered attack submarine escorting her. UK Merlin and Wildcat helicopters will patrol the skies, supporting commando operations and hunting submarines alongside a wide range of aircraft from across NATO, including F-35 fighter jets and attack helicopters.�

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British aircraft carrier �on standby� if tensions with Russia rise
By George Allison - January 30, 202228
HMS Prince of Wales, the command ship for NATO�s Response Force, is on standby to move within hours should tensions with Russia rise further.
HMS Prince of Wales is currently leading NATO�s Maritime High Readiness Force.

The UK is currently offering �a major military deployment� to NATO to strengthen Europe�s borders in the face of rising Russian aggression.


UK officials now head to Brussels to finalise the details of the offer with NATO next week, and ministers will discuss the military options on Monday.

It comes after the Prime Minister asked defence and security chiefs to step up defensive efforts in Europe during a high-level intelligence briefing on the situation in Ukraine this week.

According to a statement:

�The Prime Minister remains seized of the importance of pursuing diplomatic efforts in tandem, and last week joined a call with President Biden, European leaders and NATO Secretary General(... Stoltenberg. In that call leaders agreed on the importance of international unity in the face of growing Russian hostility and stressed that diplomatic discussions with Russia remain the first priority.

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The UK's new aircraft carrier wrapped up its maiden deployment with 2 more milestones � one good and one bad
Constantine Atlamazoglou
Tue., December 28, 2021, 3:24 p.m.�5 min read


The Royal Navy's new flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, returned from its maiden deployment this month.

In its final weeks at sea, the British carrier operated with F-35Bs from a new country but lost one of its own F-35Bs.

Even with some mishaps, the carrier's deployment reflected the UK's renewed focus on global military reach.

On December 9, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth � the Royal Navy's new flagship and the largest, most powerful vessel ever constructed for the service � returned to Portsmouth after its maiden deployment.

During seven months of operations as Carrier Strike Group 21, HMS Queen Elizabeth and its escorts sailed through the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Western Pacific, working alongside ships from 17 countries and participating in 18 major exercises.

The carrier's deployment was significant for many reasons and featured a number of milestones involving the F-35 aircraft, including the loss of a British F-35B.

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Royal Navy flagship returns home without �100m fighter jet

Ben Mitchell, PA
Wed., December 8, 2021, 11:09 p.m.�3 min read
The Royal Navy�s flagship is to return home following the first operational deployment of the carrier strike group (CSG), which has been dogged by incidents including the loss of a �100 million fighter jet at sea.
The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, with seven warships and a submarine, set off from Portsmouth Naval Base following a visit by the Queen in May for its show-of-force voyage to the Far East.
But the ships and their combined crew of 3,700 sailors faced several incidents, both diplomatic and technical, during the 25,000 nautical mile round trip.
The carrier had originally been expected to return to Portsmouth on December 10, but the arrival was brought forward by a day because of concerns about the weather.
The narrow entrance to Portsmouth Harbour means that the 65,000-tonne warship would not routinely enter during heavy winds.

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Leaked crash video of British F-35B shows jet dropping off carrier ramp
By Andrew Chuter

Nov 30, 06:52 AM
Military
LONDON � The crash into the sea of a British F-35B combat jet on Nov. 17 was caught on video and has been subsequently leaked on Twitter.
The video shows the jet attempting to take off from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the eastern Mediterranean.

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Royal Navy Declares Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Operational
The UK today has two world-leading aircraft carriers ready for duties around the globe after HMS Prince of Wales was declared fully operational.
Naval News Staff 02 Oct 2021
Royal Navy press release
A fortnight-long international exercise off the Scottish coast put the stamp on two years of intensive training for the Portsmouth-based warship, 700-plus crew, the Royal Navy and RAF squadrons who will operate aircraft from her flight deck � including the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning stealth fighter � and thousands of military personnel and civilians who support and maintain the endeavour.
It means HMS Prince of Wales can join her sister HMS Queen Elizabeth on the world stage; the latter is currently beginning the second half of her maiden deployment commanding an international carrier strike group in the Pacific.
�We have excitingly jumped the final hurdle and are now a fully-fledged strike carrier, ready at 30 days� notice for operations around the globe,� said HMS Prince of Wales� Commanding Officer Captain Steve Higham.
�This is a significant moment for the ship which will see us operate with fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and other vessel. We�ll achieve all of this by working with our friends and colleagues from the RAF, the British Army and across Defence to deliver our contribution for the UK as a problem-solving, burden-sharing partner nation.

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British warships are traversing the world to the South China sea as the UK strengthens its foreign policy
Opinion
James Rogers
James Rogers is Director of Research at the Council on Geostrategy

The expedition to the South China sea by the Royal Navy�s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is the largest display of British maritime power in a generation. The group, led by the HMS Queen Elizabeth, is complete with combat jets, two destroyers, two frigates, two replenishment vessels and a nuclear attack submarine. They are supported by HNLMS Evertsen of the Dutch Navy and F35B Lightning IIs from the US Marine Corps.
The group of warships, traversing around the world, made headlines last month in Syria, where they struck at ISIS. Commodore Moorhouse, the CSG�s commander, said of the strikes: �now we are ready to deliver the hard punch of maritime-based air power against a shared enemy.�

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HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carriers sail together for first time
The two Royal Navy sister ships were pictured side-by-side at sea


HMS Prince of Wales (left) and HMS Queen Elizabeth (right) pictured at sea together for the first time (Image: POPhot Jay Allen / Royal Navy)
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The Royal Navy's two aircraft carriers have been photographed sailing together side-by-side for the first time.
In a striking photograph, sister ships HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales were pictured at sea - the first time the two warships have met at sea.
It comes as HMS Queen Elizabeth gets ready to head off on her maiden deployment to Asia with the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) on Saturday (May 22).
The aircraft carrier returned to Portsmouth on Wednesday (May 20) following her final training exercise off Scotland, with bad weather changing her plans.
The CSG and NATO allies took place in Exercise Strike Warrior, ahead of the CSG's seven-month deployment. It saw HMS Queen Elizabeth's F-35 fighter jets conduct missile firings, the first time British jets have done so at sea for 15 years.

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British Aircraft Carrier Departs on Landmark Deployment with Marine Corps F-35s Aboard
5 May 2021
Military.com | By Gina Harkins
U.S. Marines from an Arizona-based fighter attack squadron have joined a British naval crew to form the biggest fifth-generation carrier air wing in the world.
F-35B Joint Strike Fighter jets from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 will carry out missions in the Mediterranean Sea, Middle East and Asia-Pacific region from aboard the British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth. The ship left Portsmouth Harbor, United Kingdom, on Saturday. It's the Royal Navy carrier's maiden deployment.

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UK says its aircraft carrier strike group is ready to deploy. China's already watching
By Brad Lendon, CNN
Updated 12:21 AM ET, Tue January 5, 2021
(CNN)Britain is officially an aircraft carrier power again.
The Royal Navy announced on Monday that the UK's Carrier Strike Group, centered on Britain's largest ever warship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, had achieved initial operating capability.
The designation means the 65,000-ton carrier, its air assets including F-35 stealth fighter jets and helicopters, as well as its escorting destroyers, frigates, submarines and supply ships, are ready to deploy within five days of receiving orders to do so.
Qualified pilots and ground crews are on notice.
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Here�s why Britain is struggling to form a fully effective carrier strike group
By: Andrew Chuter ? 1 day ago

The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is pictured at anchor on the Solent on June 5, 2019. (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
LONDON � Britain�s Royal Navy took delivery of two new aircraft carriers, but a government report on the ships achieving operational capability has laid bare some obstacles toward making a fully effective carrier strike group.
In a report released June 25, the National Audit Office pointed to delays in developing the Crowsnest airborne early warning radar and contracting to build the logistics ships destined to support the 65,000-ton carriers as ongoing problems for the Royal Navy. The NAO also raised questions about future funding.
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UK commits Carrier Strike Group to NATO Readiness Initiative
By
George Allison
February 18, 2020
The UK contribution to the NATO Readiness Initiative includes a UK-led brigade and a UK Carrier Strike Group.
At the first NATO Defence Ministers meeting of 2020, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace used the occasion to reassure NATO�s European members that the United Kingdom remains a key element of broader European security.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the initiative last year:
�We will also agree a NATO Readiness Initiative � the �Four Thirties� � to ensure that by 2020, we have 30 mechanised battalions, 30 air squadrons and 30 combat vessels, ready within 30 days or less.�
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HMS Queen Elizabeth to sail for secretive air transport mission
By
George Allison
December 4, 2019
British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is to sail to the Arctic Circle in a few weeks to support a multinational air transport mission, it has been revealed.
The new carrier recently returned from trials with F-35 jets but it�s understood that she is being redeployed for this mission.
The vessel is being deployed to act as an emergency landing option should a specific but classified cargo aircraft require its usage.
Other commentators have noted that that the loading of provisions would be unusual as the craft is rumoured to be elf sufficient and shouldn�t need anything else.
Part of HMS Queen Elizabeth�s recent trials involved the fitting of STOVL (Sleigh Take Off and Vixen Landing) equipment allowing for this kind of aircraft to land and take-off from the carrier.
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Wartime Operations � Employing the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers
By
Guest Contributor
August 20, 2019
The months of June and July 2019 witnessed four significant events which are a portent for the future of UK carrier aviation.
The thirty-seventh anniversary of the Argentine surrender marking the end of the Falklands War was commemorated on the 14th of June. Exactly two days later Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning aircraft operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus completed their first armed overwatch mission over Syria marking their operational debut in UK service.
This article was submitted to the UK Defence Journal by Kelvin Curnow. Kelvin�s particular area of interest is naval aircraft and aircraft carriers. He is a keen writer and over the past fifteen years he has had a number of articles published in different journals.
Denoting a significant step towards initial operating capability, on the 17th of June HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH sailed from Portsmouth for a final round of sea trials before departing for the USA in Autumn for the next round of trials with the F-35B. The final and ominous event occurred on the 20th of July with the seizure of the British flagged tanker Stena Impero by Iran�s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG) in the Strait of Hormuz using fast inshore patrol craft.
HMS Queen Elizabeth
The successful prosecution of the Falklands War lies in stark contrast to the ease with which the Iranians captured the British tanker and marks the steep decline in Britain�s maritime capabilities. Regeneration of the UK�s naval capability is marked by the construction of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES (PoW) � collectively designated the QUEEN ELIZABETH CLASS (QEC).
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