HMS Queen Elizabeth departed Portsmouth to conduct flight trials.

The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth of the Royal Navy departed Portsmouth on June 17 to conduct flight trials and other forms of training before sailing to the United States in five weeks where it will host the Atlantic Future Forum.

F-35B on the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (Picture Source: Royal Navy)

UK Ministry of Defence said that whilst in the Washington area the carrier will host the Atlantic Future Forum, which aims at "bringing the US and UK industry and military together to address the changing nature of warfare and shared threats both allies face at home and abroad".

Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt stated: "HMS Queen Elizabeth represents the best of British innovation and is a true embodiment of our international ambition. The fact that this important ship will have visited the US twice within her short service thus far is a testament to our enduring transatlantic defence relationship. In the week that we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, it is only right that we continue to look at how we can deepen our global partnerships to promote peace and deter future conflict.”

The deployment ‘WESTLANT 19’, will see HMS Queen Elizabeth and her crew conduct vital deck and warfare trials with British F-35 jets from 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron based in the USA and 617 Squadron based at RAF Marham, as well rotary wing training with Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, added the MoD in a release.