Focus: F-35B Fighter Jets Deliver Unmatched Air Power Aboard British Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

In a striking reaffirmation of British global defense posture, the United Kingdom has launched Operation HIGHMAST on April 23, 2025, a wide-ranging multinational deployment spearheaded by the British Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Prince of Wales. Central to the potency of this Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is the deployment of the UK’s most advanced stealth fighters—the F-35B Lightning IIs—from the Royal Air Force’s 617 Squadron and the Royal Navy’s 809 Naval Air Squadron. This marks a critical evolution in British expeditionary power, where air dominance is pivotal to the success and survivability of a modern naval force.
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F-35 Lightning jets lined up on HMS Prince of Wales after embarking for Op HIGHMAST. (Picture source: British MoD)

The U.S. F-35B is a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighter, optimized for carrier operations. Its capability to take off from ski-jump ramps and land vertically allows it to operate from the flight decks of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth-class carriers—HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales—without the need for catapults or arresting gear. British Navy HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier is designed to accommodate up to 36 F-35B Lightning II jets during high-tempo operations, although standard deployments typically include 12 to 24 aircraft depending on mission requirements and availability.

Combat-wise, the F-35B brings unrivaled multirole versatility to the Carrier Strike Group. It integrates stealth technology with supersonic performance, advanced sensors, and highly networked data fusion. In strike operations, the F-35B can carry internal ordnance for stealth missions, such as two 500 lb Paveway IV laser-guided bombs alongside two AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles in its internal bays, maintaining a low radar cross-section. For missions where stealth is less critical, it can carry a broader mix of munitions on external hardpoints—allowing it to serve as a formidable bomb truck or close air support platform.

These capabilities equip the F-35B for a range of combat roles. It can engage enemy aircraft in beyond-visual-range combat, strike hardened ground targets with surgical precision, suppress enemy air defenses, and provide vital intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Armed with air-to-air missiles like the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder, precision-guided bombs such as the Paveway IV and JDAM, and future enhancements including stand-off weapons like the SPEAR 3, the F-35B provides full-spectrum combat options. An optional GAU-22/A 25mm cannon pod can also be mounted for strafing and close support roles.

The fighter’s integration of multiple sensors, including the AN/APG-81 AESA radar, Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), and Distributed Aperture System (DAS), offers unmatched situational awareness. Its advanced electronic warfare suite enables it to detect, jam, and evade threats, while its sensor fusion capability transforms the jet into a flying command-and-control node. This makes the F-35B not only a weapon but a battlefield multiplier—able to collect and disseminate intelligence to allied platforms across sea, land, and air domains.

The reintroduction of carrier-based fixed-wing aviation into the British Royal Navy through the F-35B program is the result of more than two decades of strategic planning and investment. The UK joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2001 as a Tier 1 partner, contributing over £2 billion toward development. The decision to procure the STOVL variant aligned with the design of the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers and restored a capability lost after the retirement of the Sea Harrier and Harrier GR9. Initial aircraft deliveries began in 2012, and by 2018, 617 Squadron—the legendary “Dambusters”—achieved initial operating capability. The Royal Navy reactivated 809 Naval Air Squadron in 2023, further expanding the fleet’s readiness for full carrier-based operations.

Operation HIGHMAST is the most ambitious test yet of the UK’s reconstituted carrier strike capability. As the British Navy HMS Prince of Wales sails through key strategic regions, its embarked F-35B force will conduct joint exercises, deterrence patrols, and combat simulations alongside allied air and naval forces. The deployment reaffirms the UK’s commitment to NATO and Indo-Pacific partners, demonstrating an ability to project air power from the sea independently and collaboratively across global theaters.

In an age where peer threats are increasingly capable and the pace of conflict is accelerating, the integration of the F-35B into a mobile maritime platform like the British Navy's HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier gives Britain the flexibility, reach, and precision required to deter adversaries and respond decisively to crises. As the F-35Bs roar into the skies from the deck of a British carrier once more, they mark not only a return to power but the dawn of a new era in British naval aviation.