On 17th November 2021, an F-35B ditched into the sea on take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Eastern Mediterranean during operation FORTIS / CSG21. The basic cause of the accident was understood very quickly but the full board of enquiry report published recently highlights multiple contributing factors and reveals broader issues with UK Carrier Strike capability.
The first of a long-awaited 6-part documentary series “The Warship: Tour of Duty” covering the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group deployment (May-December 2021) will be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer on Sunday 22nd January 2023 at 9pm.
2021 can be seen as another broadly positive year for the RN with the Integrated Review the maiden operational deployment of the carrier strike group the dominant stories.More
After more than 7 months away, the carrier strike group has returned to the UK. While official channels rightly trumpet the many achievements of the deployment, here we provide a balanced assessment of the trip which has not been entirely plain sailing.
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This photo and video essay cover the activities of the Carrier Strike Group on the final part of the 2021 deployment that took them from the Gulf of Oman, through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean and back to UK waters.
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On the morning of the 17th November, a UK-owned F-35B crashed into the sea while flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth. The pilot ejected safely but there is now a scramble to retrieve the wreckage of the aircraft. Here we look at the options available and the challenges involved.More
The Ministry of Defence has announced a British F-35 pilot flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth ejected during a routine sortie in the Mediterranean at around 1000 UK time today. Here summarise events and add some perspective to this unfortunate news.More
This photo and video essay cover the activities of the UK Carrier Strike Group in September and October. Having gone as far east as planned, the group began its westward journey home, including participation in three major exercises during this period.
More details of interactions with Russian forces in June were revealed by the Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group this week.
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