Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales departs on major deployment
The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales is set to depart on one of its biggest deployments yet.
The £3bn aircraft carrier sets off later from Portsmouth and will take part in exercises demonstrating the UK’s ability to operate fast jets at sea, and carry out large scale military operations on the other side of the world.
Up to 24 of the latest F-35B stealth jets will join the carrier as it leads a multi-national fleet of warships to 40 countries across the Mediterranean, Middle East, south-east Asia, Japan and Australia.
The 65,000-tonne warship, which can hold up to 1,600 military personnel, will be deployed for eight months.
HMS Prince of Wales will be part of the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) which includes the Portsmouth destroyer HMS Dauntless, Plymouth frigate HMS Richmond, as well as warships from Norway, Canada, and other NATO members.
Source: BBC | Language: English