Exercise Neptune Strike 25-4 involved more than 50 aircraft from allied nations.

During the latter phase of the multinational Exercise Neptune Strike 25-4, NATO commanders brought two European carrier strike groups together. Last week, the British Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour CSG conducted operations simultaneously under NATO orders. 

Aimed to showcase NATO’s strengths, the large exercise involved more than 50 aircraft from allied nations. According to a NATO press release, the drills also supported the training of militaries in Agile Combat Employment, testing the alliance’s capacity to rapidly deploy from various locations. While the US Ford-class supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford did not take part in the drill, the US military was represented by a bomber task force, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO said.

About the HMS Prince of Wales

• Year Introduced: 2019
• Number Built: Two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers
• Length: 284 meters (932 ft)
• Beam (Width): 73 meters (240 ft) overall
• Displacement: 65,000 tonnes
• Engines: Two Rolls-Royce Marine Trent MT30 gas turbines and four Wartsila diesel generator units
• Top Speed: Over 25 knots (46 km/h)
• Range: 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km)
• Armaments: Three Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems, four 30mm DS30 M Mk2 guns, six Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns (originally miniguns)
• Crew: ~1,600

HMS Prince of Wales has been conducting a scheduled deployment since the summer. The British aircraft carrier’s sail toward the Western Pacific marked only the second time a Royal Navy carrier has been dispatched to the region. As part of the Operation Highmast deployment, the presence of the Prince of Wales in the region is meant to serve as a deterrence to China’s growing hostilities. 

Neptune Strike 25-4, which began earlier this month, has been part of the UK CSG’s deployment. Notably, the Prince of Wales achieved full operating capability during the exercise last week, roughly one and a half years after it took over as the flagship for the strike group. To achieve this level of operation, the strike group brought two dozen fighter jets on board, which carried out roughly 50 sorties alongside allied aircraft. The carrier also successfully increased its number of embarked fighter jets from 18 to 24, an achievement as it represented the largest contingent of fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II fighter jets ever assembled on a Queen Elizabeth-class warship. “The declaration comes at the tail end of an eight-month global operation that took the task group into the Indo-Pacific to operate with regional allies and partners, before returning to the Mediterranean to showcase the power of NATO’s fifth-generation jets,” reads the Royal Navy release.

Upon completing Falcon Strike 25 and Neptune Strike in the Western Mediterranean, the HMS Prince of Wales made a port visit in Gibraltar. The CSG is expected to return home following its deployment by the end of November. The nearly eight-month-long mission overseas was deemed a success for the Royal Navy. As Beijing continues to ramp up malign activity in the Indo-Pacific, the increased presence of the HMS Prince of Wales and its sister ship is likely.