UK Carrier Strike Group

As a unit within the Royal Navy, the UK Carrier Strike Group's role is to facilitate carrier-enabled power projection (CEPP) in support of the UK's interests. As a self-contained force, it is capable of operating independently or as part of a wider operation. The unit is centred around either of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, which are designed to carry up to 40 aircraft each, with accompanying surface ships and submarines providing protection from air, surface and undersea threats.^[4] Initially, only one carrier strike group was to be maintained,^[5] however, under current strategic planning, two carrier strike groups will now be maintained with one held at very high readiness and the other at lower readiness. Both of these groups can surge and form a combined unit if required.^[6]

The size and composition of the UKCSG varies depending on operational requirements which are decided upon during operational planning.^[3] A typical CSG consists of a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, two surface escorts (with one being a Type 23 frigate for anti-submarine warfare and the other being a Type 45 destroyer for anti-air warfare), a submarine and a fleet tanker.^[7] In the future, escort duties will also be provided by the Royal Navy's new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.^[8] For replenishment-at-sea, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary provides its Tide-class fleet tankers, which were specifically designed to refuel the aircraft carriers, in addition to RFA Fort Victoria for dry stores.^[9] Fort Victoria is the only ship capable of resupplying the aircraft carriers with dry stores but a programme to replace her with three new fleet solid support ships is underway, aiming to deliver the first new vessel in 2031.^[10] As of 2024, the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary were experiencing considerable challenges keeping adequate numbers of destroyers, frigates and support ships at sea due to both personnel shortages and because of the age of some vessels.^[11][12] Until adequate numbers of escorts and support ships become more readily available (as newer vessels are projected to enter service in the latter 2020s and early 2030s), the deployment of a carrier strike group is increasingly reliant on ships provided by allies.^[13] Overseas, the UK has established a number of naval facilities to support the UKCSG, including the naval base HMS Jufair and the UK Joint Logistics Support Base, which are located in Bahrain and Oman, respectively.^[13]

The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are designed to carry around 40 aircraft but can carry up to 72 at maximum capacity.^[14][15] Its Carrier Air Wing (CVW) will consist of up to 24 F-35B Lightning II multirole fighters by 2023.^[16] This is in addition to around 14 helicopters of varying types.^[17] For a Maritime Force Protection tasking, the CVW may consist of Merlin HM2 helicopters operating in both the anti-submarine warfare and airborne early warning (AEW) roles. For a Littoral Manoeuvre package, it may consist of a mixture of Chinook and Merlin Mk3i/4 transport helicopters and Apache AH1 and/or Wildcat AH1 attack helicopters.^[16] By 2030, the Royal Navy aims to replace some of these helicopter platforms with medium-sized fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles, currently known as Vixens, capable of undertaking strike, air-to-air refueling, electronic warfare and airborne early warning missions.^[18]

 

The earliest iteration of the UK Carrier Strike Group originally formed in 2006 with Commodore Alan Richards in command.^[2] It centred around either of two Invincible-class aircraft carriers, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal.^[2][19] In one of its final deployments, it demonstrated its capabilities alongside the US Navy off the east coast of the United States during Exercise Auriga in 2010. Following the exercise, the captain of Ark Royal remarked: "Today was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate some of the capabilities that the UK Carrier Strike Group has, particularly the GR9 Harrier and Merlin ASW helicopters operating from HMS Ark Royal".^[20][19] As an example of the size and composition of a UK CSG of that era, the Auriga CSG consisted of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, along with her air wing of Harrier GR9 strike aircraft, Merlin HM1 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters and Sea King MK7 airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) helicopters.^[21] The aircraft carrier was escorted by the Type 42 destroyer HMS Liverpool and Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland, in addition to French Navy submarine Perle and US Navy destroyer USS Barry. RFA Fort George of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary provided replenishment.^[22]

In 2010, the British government announced that all Harriers would be retired from service, along with HMS Ark Royal. This left Illustrious serving in a helicopter carrier role whilst replacement aircraft carriers and their associated air wings were procured. The UK Carrier Strike Group dissolved in 2011 with Commodore Simon J. Ancona as its final commander.^[2] Illustrious later went on to decommission in 2014, three years ahead of her replacements' entry into service.^[23]

 

In 2015, the UKCSG was re-formed with Commodore Jerry Kyd as its commander. Under his direction, the UK CSG battle staff grew to include 22 core one-star battle staff by 2016.^[24] Kyd was later succeeded by Commodore Andrew Betton during the same year, who himself was succeeded in 2018 by Commodore Mike Utley, before the current commander, Commodore Stephan Moorhouse, took command in 2019.^[2] Prior to the entry into service of HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy cooperated with its allies to preserve and develop its skills in carrier strike group operations. This primarily involved Royal Navy ships and personnel training with US Navy and French carrier strike groups.^[25][26]

The current UKCSG assembled at sea for the first time in October 2020 during Exercise Joint Warrior.^[27] It comprised a total of nine ships, 15 fighter aircraft (five from the Royal Air Force and 10 from the US Marine Corps^[28]), 11 helicopters and 3,000 personnel. The Royal Navy ships included the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth along with two frigates, two destroyers, a replenishment ship and a solid support ship. The US Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy also provided an escort each.^[27] The exercise saw the largest number of aircraft on a British aircraft carrier since 1983, in addition to the largest number of F-35Bs at sea across the globe.^[29] The exercise was a rehearsal for an operational deployment scheduled for 2021, known as CSG21.^[30]

Following Exercise Joint Warrior, the UK CSG reached its initial operating capability (IOC) milestone in January 2021. This milestone marked the successful operation of all components of the CSG and made it available for operational deployments for the first time.^[29]

 

On 22 May 2021, following a farewell visit from Queen Elizabeth II, the UK Carrier Strike Group left HMNB Portsmouth on its first operational deployment, a seven-and-a-half month roundtrip to the Pacific, visiting over 40 countries. Joining lead ship HMS Queen Elizabeth were Type 45 destroyers HMS Diamond and HMS Defender, Type 23 frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, Astute-class nuclear attack submarine HMS Artful^[31] and two Royal Fleet Auxiliary supply ships, RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring. United States Navy destroyer USS The Sullivans and HNLMS Evertsen of the Royal Netherlands Navy were also assigned to the strike group. In total, approximately 3,700 sailors, aviators and marines from across the three countries were involved with the deployment.^[32] The strike group's air component amounted to over 30 aircraft, the majority of which were onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth. These included eight F-35B Lightning multirole combat aircraft from No. 617 Squadron RAF and ten from the United States Marine Corps' VMFA-211 "Wake Island Avengers". Three Merlin HM2 Crowsnest airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) aircraft were also deployed on the type's first operational deployment.^[33]

Whilst in the Mediterranean, the carrier strike group exercised with the Italian Navy and Air Force, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its accompanying strike group, as well as other NATO navies during Exercise Steadfast Defender. The strike group also carried out its first ever combat operations, launching F-35B Lightning multirole combat aircraft on strike sorties against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.^[34] Whilst these missions were underway, HMS Defender and HNLMS Evertsen detached from the strike group and headed into the Black Sea to carry out Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs). Whilst transiting from Odesa, Ukraine to Batumi, Georgia, HMS Defender entered the waters around Crimea, the centre of a Russian-Ukrainian sovereignty dispute, which resulted in the Russian authorities firing warning shots. Elsewhere in the Black Sea, HNLMS Evertsen also faced mock attacks by the Russian Air Force.^[35] To further monitor the strike group, Russia deployed strike bombers equipped with Kh-47M2 Kinzhal anti-ship ballistic missiles to an airbase in Syria.^[36] By 7 July 2021, both HMS Defender and HNLMS Evertsen had rejoined the strike group and it left the region via the Suez Canal.^[37] HMS Diamond was no longer part of the strike group, having suffered a defect.^[38]

In the Gulf of Aden, the carrier strike group met with two US Navy task groups, Carrier Strike Group 5 headed by USS Ronald Reagan and USS Iwo Jima's Amphibious Ready Group.^[39] The carrier strike group then exercised with the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal before exercising with the navies of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in the Strait of Malacca.^[40][41] Finally, in the Indo-Pacific region, the strike group exercised with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy.^[42]

During its return trip, the strike group exercised with the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean; HMS Queen Elizabeth set a record by hosting jets from three different nations on a single flightdeck.^[42] During its time in the Mediterranean, HMS Queen Elizabeth suffered its first loss of an F-35B when one crashed into the sea following an aborted takeoff. The pilot ejected safely but the aircraft was a complete loss and was subsequently recovered from the seabed two weeks later.^[43] The strike group returned to the UK and concluded its deployment on 9 December 2021.^[42]

The CSG21 deployment was covered by documentary filmmaker Chris Terrill in a BBC series, named The Warship: Tour of Duty. It aired on 22 January 2023.^[44]

Following the conclusion of CSG21, a 2022 deployment was planned with the involvement of both aircraft carriers.^[45] However, HMS Prince of Wales suffered a starboard propeller malfunction in August 2022. The deployment was subsequently downscaled as HMS Queen Elizabeth was diverted to the United States to replace Prince of Wales in hosting the Atlantic Future Forum. After returning from the US, Queen Elizabeth embarked eight F-35 jets and seven helicopters. The strike group participated in Operation Achillian with NATO forces in the North Sea to validate NATO's fifth-generation strike capability. Anti-submarine warfare exercises were also carried out alongside RAF P-8 Poseidons operating from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.^[46]

In September 2023, HMS Queen Elizabeth sailed as the centrepiece of the CSG23 deployment, codenamed Operation Firedrake. The carrier strike group consisted of Queen Elizabeth, with a wholly British air group, alongside HMS Diamond and Norway's HNoMS Otto Sverdrup. In October, HMS Portland and later HMS Kent, joined the carrier group. The group operated in European waters alongside ships from a number of other navies, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway. Part of the deployment saw the carrier strike group operating under the direct command of NATO for the first time.^[47]

 

In January 2024, the UK announced its participation in Steadfast Defender 2024, the largest NATO military exercise since the end of the Cold War, involving assets from all three armed services, including the Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group, headed by HMS Queen Elizabeth. Prior to sailing, routine checks of Queen Elizabeth revealed faults with the ship's starboard propeller shaft and so the ship was pulled from the exercise.^[48] Sister ship Prince of Wales, which was in maintenance and normally at 30 days notice to sail, was hastily readied and deployed as her replacement in just eight days.^[49] The carrier strike group comprised four British ships, namely Prince of Wales, a Type 23 frigate (initially reported as HMS Somerset but later confirmed as HMS Portland) and two Tide-class tankers.^[50] They were joined in the North Sea by the frigate HMCS Charlottetown of the Royal Canadian Navy, the destroyer Cristobal Colon of the Spanish Navy and the frigate HDMS Niels Juel of the Royal Norwegian Navy.^[51] As part of the UK-led Exercise Joint Warrior, the CSG operated off the Norwegian coast alongside more than 30 ships, four submarines and multiple aircraft from NATO allies.^[52] The CSG then participated in the next phase of the exercise, the Norwegian-led Exercise Nordic Response, which culminated in a 15-ship formation, led by Prince of Wales, combining the UKCSG with a NATO Amphibious Task Group.^[53] HMS Queen Elizabeth, meanwhile, underwent repairs and eventually returned to sea in July 2024.^[54]

In 2025, the UK aims to deploy a carrier strike group to the Pacific Ocean. These plans were first announced by the UK government in December 2023.^[55] They were reconfirmed by the newly-elected Labour government in July 2024.^[56] The CSG will centre around the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, embarked with an air wing of 24 F-35B Lightning jets — the largest maritime deployment of the type to date.^[57] The CSG will visit and exercise with numerous countries along the way, including Japan and India.^[55][58] Allied ships will form part of the CSG; Norway confirmed it will be providing two ships, a Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate and the logistics vessel HNoMS Maud.^[59]