{"id":28615802,"date":"2026-10-18T21:13:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T19:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hms-prince-of-wales-operation-firecrest-high-north-f-35b-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T21:14:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T19:14:08","slug":"hms-prince-of-wales-operation-firecrest-high-north-f-35b-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/hms-prince-of-wales-operation-firecrest-high-north-f-35b-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"HMS Prince of Wales Sails for the High North With F-35Bs"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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The 65,000-tonne carrier, Britain's biggest warship, was due to leave at 17:00, weather permitting, and the Portsmouth News confirmed she set sail that afternoon.<\/p>\r\n<p>Her destination is cold, grey and strategically loaded: the Arctic and the North Atlantic. This is the second phase of Operation Firecrest, the Royal Navy's 2026 mission on NATO's northern flank, and she carries <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35B<\/a> stealth fighters back into the High North under NATO command.<\/p>\r\n<p>Alongside her sails the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, and more than 1,200 British personnel make up the Carrier Strike Group. Over the coming weeks they will work with Norway, Denmark and Germany and feed into NATO's Neptune Strike series of exercises.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Ship:<\/strong> HMS Prince of Wales (R09), UK Carrier Strike Group flagship<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Sailed:<\/strong> Portsmouth, Sunday 18 October 2026 (planned 17:00, weather permitting)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Mission:<\/strong> Operation Firecrest, phase two, under NATO command<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Air group:<\/strong> F-35 jets, Merlin Mk4 and Mk2, Wildcat helicopters, Malloy drones<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Escort:<\/strong> Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>People:<\/strong> More than 1,200 British personnel<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Allies named:<\/strong> Norway, Denmark, Germany<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Commander:<\/strong> Commodore Richard Hewitt, UK Carrier Strike Group<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Sails With Her<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Royal Navy describes the air group as fifth-generation F-35 jets, <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/aw101-merlin\/\">Merlin<\/a> Mk4 Commando helicopters for moving troops and cargo, Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters, Wildcat helicopters and Malloy drones. The Malloys are heavy-lift uncrewed quadcopters that shuttle stores between ships without tying up a crewed helicopter.<\/p>\r\n<p>What the Navy has not said is how many jets are aboard, or which squadron flies them. Britain's F-35Bs are operated by a joint <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/fleet-air-arm\/\">Fleet Air Arm<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-kingdom-royal-air-force\/\">Royal Air Force<\/a> force based at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/marham\/\">RAF Marham<\/a> in Norfolk. Until the Navy publishes the figure, any number is a guess, and Afterburner does not guess.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/merlin-mk2-820-nas-hms-prince-of-wales.jpg\" alt=\"Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 helicopter of 820 Naval Air Squadron landing on HMS Prince of Wales at dusk\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopter of 820 Naval Air Squadron lands on HMS Prince of Wales in 2023. Mk2s sail again on Firecrest, where hunting submarines is the core job. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps, Lance Cpl. Anakin Smith \/ Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>The Merlin Mk2 matters more up north than almost anywhere else. Russia's Northern Fleet, based on the Kola Peninsula, keeps its most capable submarines there, and every one of them has to pass through the Norwegian Sea to reach the Atlantic.<\/p>\r\n<p>HMS Dauntless provides the air-defence umbrella. Naval News reported that photos dated 10 October showed two unexplained launcher boxes fitted beside her main mast, and suggested they could hold interceptor drones. The Aviationist ran a similar report on 15 October. The Royal Navy told Naval News it would not discuss the equipment fit, citing operational sensitivities.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the High North<\/h2>\r\n<p>The far north is where Russia's submarine force meets the undersea cables, energy links and shipping lanes that Europe depends on. The Royal Navy says the carrier's presence alongside allies is \"a powerful shield for the nation\", protecting the energy, trade and communication links in the region.<\/p>\r\n<p>London has been moving in that direction all week. UK Defence Journal reports that the government's new Arctic Policy Framework commits Britain to doubling the troops it deploys to Norway to 2,000 over three years, and to a role in NATO air policing from Iceland.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;The deployment of the HMS Prince of Wales and her air wing to the High North and the North Atlantic, operating under NATO leadership, is a clear demonstration of the UK&rsquo;s commitment to the Alliance and contribution to the enduring security and stability of the North Atlantic.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Louise Sandher-Jones<\/strong> &mdash; Minister for the Armed Forces, Royal Navy announcement, October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Flying a stealth jet from a ship in those waters is a different job from the warm-water Indo-Pacific deployment of 2025. Deck icing, freezing spray, low cloud, short days and a heaving sea all work against an aircraft that lands vertically on a moving deck, and against the maintainers working in the open beside it.<\/p>\r\n<p>While deployed, the carrier will also host the Atlantic Future Forum and the International Sea Power Conference alongside in Oslo. For a few days the flight deck becomes a venue for diplomacy as well as war-fighting.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Phase One: Bears, Sonobuoys and Air Policing<\/h2>\r\n<p>This is not the ship's first trip north this year. The Royal Navy says phase one began in April and ended in late July. HMS Prince of Wales sailed with the destroyer HMS Duncan and the tanker RFA Tidespring and worked with 19 allies from NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force.<\/p>\r\n<p>According to the Navy, 809 Naval Air Squadron F-35Bs flew long-range strikes as far as Poland during Exercise Neptune Strike. They also flew NATO air policing over Iceland and the Arctic, the first time such missions had been flown from a European carrier deck. Russia paid attention: in early July a Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft flew close to the group in the Norwegian Sea and dropped sonobuoys, Navy Lookout and the Wall Street Journal reported.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XKAAiskrWtM\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic\">The Wall Street Journal went aboard HMS Prince of Wales during phase one in July 2026, as the carrier hunted Russian submarines in Arctic waters.<\/p>\r\n<p>That first phase was not trouble-free. Navy Lookout reported in late May that the carrier was alongside in Stavanger for repairs, and a planned visit to Copenhagen was expected to be cancelled. Still, the Navy called the Neptune Strike finale a success.<\/p>\r\n<p>Phase two picks up where she left off, and Neptune Strike again sits at the centre of the plan. The Royal Navy describes the series as a test of allied land, sea and air forces across Europe and the North Atlantic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/hms-prince-of-wales-aerial-f-35b-air-wing.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of HMS Prince of Wales at sea with F-35B jets and helicopters on deck as fighters fly past\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">HMS Prince of Wales with Royal Navy F-35Bs and helicopters on deck during the 2025 Indo-Pacific deployment, escorted by Japanese F-35As and an F-15. The Arctic leg asks far more of the same air wing. Photo: Japan Air Self-Defense Force \/ CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Questions Left on the Dockside<\/h2>\r\n<p>The critics have not gone away. Former First Sea Lord Lord West told the Press Association earlier this year that the Navy was in a more \"parlous state\" than at any stage in his 60 years on the active list, and only one escort accompanies the carrier this time.<\/p>\r\n<p>Commodore Richard Hewitt, who commands the strike group staff, framed the deployment as a continuation rather than a one-off. He said he was delighted to return to the Arctic and North Atlantic and to build on the successes of the first phase of Firecrest.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Led by the UK Flagship HMS Prince of Wales, the Strike Group will bring together a range of assets and capabilities, while taking every opportunity to train, operate and integrate with our NATO allies and partners.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Commodore Richard Hewitt<\/strong> &mdash; Commander, UK Carrier Strike Group, Royal Navy announcement, October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>How many F-35Bs, how long she stays and whether those boxes on Dauntless hold drone killers are all still open questions. The direction of travel is not. For the second time in six months, Britain's biggest warship is heading north to show that its air wing can work where the weather is as hostile as any adversary.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: Royal Navy, UK Defence Journal, Portsmouth News, Navy Lookout, Naval News, The Aviationist, Hits Radio\/Press Association, The Wall Street Journal, Wikipedia (HMS Prince of Wales (R09))<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>When did HMS Prince of Wales sail for Operation Firecrest phase two?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">HMS Prince of Wales was due to leave Portsmouth Naval Base at 17:00 on Sunday 18 October 2026, weather permitting, and the Portsmouth News reported she set sail that afternoon. She leads the UK Carrier Strike Group into the second phase of Operation Firecrest in the Arctic and North Atlantic under NATO command.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What aircraft are aboard HMS Prince of Wales for Operation Firecrest?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Royal Navy says the air group comprises fifth-generation F-35 jets, Merlin Mk4 Commando and Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters, Wildcat helicopters and Malloy drones. The Navy has not published how many F-35Bs are embarked or which squadron flies them, so Afterburner does not give a number.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which ships escort HMS Prince of Wales in the High North?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Type 45 air-defence destroyer HMS Dauntless accompanies HMS Prince of Wales, and more than 1,200 British personnel are deployed with the Carrier Strike Group. Naval News reported unexplained launcher boxes on Dauntless that may hold interceptor drones; the Royal Navy declined to discuss the equipment fit.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is Operation Firecrest?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Operation Firecrest is the Royal Navy's 2026 Carrier Strike Group mission on NATO's northern flank. Phase one ran from April to late July in the Arctic and North Atlantic, including Exercise Neptune Strike and NATO air policing over Iceland. Phase two began in October 2026 with HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Dauntless.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which allies is the UK Carrier Strike Group working with on Firecrest phase two?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Royal Navy names Norway, Denmark and Germany as allies working closely with the Carrier Strike Group. The group operates under NATO command and contributes to NATO's Neptune Strike series of exercises, and the carrier will host the Atlantic Future Forum and the International Sea Power Conference alongside in Oslo.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why is the UK sending an aircraft carrier to the High North?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The High North is where Russia's Northern Fleet, based on the Kola Peninsula, meets the undersea cables, energy links and shipping lanes Europe relies on. The Royal Navy calls the carrier deployment a powerful shield that keeps those links secure, and the UK's new Arctic Policy Framework commits more troops to Norway.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When did HMS Prince of Wales sail for Operation Firecrest phase two?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"HMS Prince of Wales was due to leave Portsmouth Naval Base at 17:00 on Sunday 18 October 2026, weather permitting, and the Portsmouth News reported she set sail that afternoon. 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The Royal Navy calls the carrier deployment a powerful shield that keeps those links secure, and the UK's new Arctic Policy Framework commits more troops to Norway.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-tundra-merlin-bering-sea-f-35-e-3-canada-2026\/\">Operation Tundra Merlin: An Arctic Kill Chain Off Dutch Harbor<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/danish-f-35a-kangerlussuaq-greenland-arctic-sentry-2026\/\">Danish F-35s Land in Greenland for the First Time<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-35b-cross-deck-hms-queen-elizabeth-uss-america-2021\/\">Cross-Decking F-35Bs: When a British Carrier Armed an American Jet<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/sea-venom-nsm-royal-navy-first-firings-ex-uss-klakring-sinkex-2026\/\">Sea Venom and NSM: Royal Navy Sinks Ex-USS Klakring<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story Families lined the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth on Sunday afternoon, 18 October 2026, as HMS Prince of Wales slipped out of harbour. The 65,000-tonne carrier, Britain&#8217;s biggest warship, was due to leave at 17:00, weather permitting, and the Portsmouth News confirmed she set sail that afternoon. Her destination is cold, grey [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":28615755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28615802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>HMS Prince of Wales Sails for the High North | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"HMS Prince of Wales leaves Portsmouth with F-35Bs, Merlins and HMS Dauntless for phase two of Operation Firecrest in the Arctic and North Atlantic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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