The UK Royal Navy has confirmed that an initial airwing of 18 F-35B fifth-generation stealth fighters have embarked onboard HMS Prince of Wales for the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployment into the Indo-Pacific, which departed UK shores earlier this week.
In a 25 April post, the Royal Navy stated that 18 F-35B aircraft from 809 Naval Air Squadron and 617 Squadron RAF joined HMS Prince of Wales following a transit from RAF Marham in Norfolk, adding that a “further six” F-35B aircraft would join the carrier “later in the deployment”.
In addition, a total of 16 Merlin airborne early warning, anti-submarine, and utility variants as well as Wildcat maritime attack helicopters will fill out the bulk of the airwing for CSG25.
HMS Prince of Wales has also embarked “numerous” Malloy and Puma drones which will perform missions such as transferring supplies between the task group and conducting surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
It is notable that no US Marine Corps F-35Bs will join the UK carrier mission in 2025, unlike the previous mission in 2021 when ten aircraft from VMFA-211 joined HMS Queen Elizabeth for its six-month deployment.
The 2021 deployment saw eight UK F-35Bs operate from HMS Queen Elizabeth, although one aircraft was lost on operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
In pure aircraft numbers, the 2025 deployment is indicative of the progress the Royal Navy and RAF have made in developing F-35B fleet numbers and operational experience with a total of 18 Lightning II’s embarked, as was the case in 2021.
Should the additional six UK F-35Bs as suggested “later in the deployment”, this will bring HMS Prince of Wales airwing up to the expected nominal peacetime configuration of 24 fighters. Combined with the rotary element, and CSG25 will initially field an airwing of 34 airframes, rising to 40 with the six extra F-35Bs.
In 2021, the combined UK/USMC airwing comprised 18 F-35Bs and 14 helicopters of varying types, for 32 aircraft in total.
CSG25: fewer Royal Navy surface escorts
As earlier detailed by Naval Technology, the CSG25 deployment will see the Royal Navy contribute just half of the number of surface escorts that deployed with HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021, down to just a single Type 23 anti-submarine warfare frigate, and one Type 45 air defence destroyer.
The UK element to CSG25 will also feature a Tide-class fleet tanker and an unnamed Astute-class nuclear powered attack submarine, the latter usually operating some distance from the carrier strike group.
The Royal Navy is critically short of surface combatants, down to six operational Type 23 frigates in April from a fleet of just eight vessels, following a spate of defence cuts in 2024. The replacement Type 26 and Type 31 frigates are still a number of years away from entering service.
The CSG25 deployment will be joined by Canadian, Norwegian, Spanish, and New Zealand warships at various points in the mission. It is probable that US Navy warships will exercise with the carrier task force at various points, but unlike in 2021 there will be no Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer at part of the surface escort force.
Also notable is that the UK has been unable to add a solid stores auxiliary vessel to CSG25, with RFA Fort Victoria, which performed the role in 2021, in long-term layup. Instead, the UK is having to rely on a Norwegian supply vessel.
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