US Marine Corps F-35B jets recently made history by landing, refueling, and launching from the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales during its flagship deployment in 2025. This milestone marks a significant moment for both the UK and the United States in demonstrating their military cooperation and operational capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
The landing of the American jets took place ahead of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, a multinational military exercise that brings together forces from the US, Australia, and other partner nations. The operation is part of Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy’s principal carrier deployment for 2025, and highlights the strategic importance of this mission in fostering global security and regional cooperation.
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The UK’s Operation Highmast
Operation Highmast, led by the HMS Prince of Wales, is the Royal Navy’s key carrier deployment of the year. The UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is on an eight-month mission, spanning from the Mediterranean through the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Rim.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the purpose of this mission is to emphasize the UK’s continued commitment to Indo-Pacific security, ensuring the freedom of navigation and enhancing joint operations with regional partners, reports UK Defence Journal.
The HMS Prince of Wales, accompanied by several other ships including HMS Dauntless, RFA Tidespring, and naval vessels from Norway and New Zealand, has begun a series of strategic port visits in South-East Asia. These visits mark an important step in fostering closer military and political ties with regional partners. The visit to Singapore in late June signaled the start of the UK Carrier Strike Group’s wider engagement with Southeast Asia.
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025
Exercise Talisman Sabre is Australia’s largest military exercise, designed and conducted in collaboration with the United States. According to reports, the exercise, now in its 11th iteration, will involve a growing number of partner nations, with the scale and complexity expected to surpass previous years. Talisman Sabre 2025 will feature live-fire drills, amphibious landings, and operations across air, sea, land, cyber, and space domains.
The exercise is set to include 19 nations and will be an important event in the Indo-Pacific security architecture. It will not only test the military readiness of participating nations but also underscore the importance of multinational cooperation in addressing shared security challenges.
This year’s exercise promises to be a focal point for both regional and global defense cooperation, with all participating nations preparing for a wide range of operations, including simulated large-scale military engagements.
The Strategic Role of the F-35B Jets
The landing of the F-35B stealth jets on the HMS Prince of Wales highlights the growing role of advanced technology in modern naval operations. According to military analysts, the ability to operate the fifth-generation fighter jets from a British aircraft carrier is a major step in enhancing the UK’s strategic military capabilities.
The F-35B jets are equipped with vertical landing and takeoff capabilities, allowing them to operate from shorter runways and small, flexible platforms like the HMS Prince of Wales. This capability is vital in ensuring the operational flexibility of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group, as well as its interoperability with the United States’ forces, who rely on these advanced jets for a wide range of operations, from air superiority to precision strikes.
