The UK’s F-35 Lightning jets will join Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales in the last week of April as they aim to declare full operating capability on a landmark mission to the Indo-Pacific.
The 65,000-tonne warship will deploy from Portsmouth on 22 April at the centre of the UK Carrier Strike Group and will be joined for her global mission – known as Operation Highmast – by F-35B jets of 809 Naval Air Squadron and 617 Squadron from RAF Marham.
