The British aircraft carrier is now traveling to the Arctic, where it will join other NATO navies in the upcoming “Operation Firecrest.”

The Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, began its current deployment last week—the first since last year’s Operation Highmast Carrier Strike Group 2025 (CSG25) mission to the Indo-Pacific. The conventionally-powered flattop arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base in November—giving the warship a far quicker turnaround time than is typical for the United States Navy’s nuclear-powered supercarriers, which often require a year or more of Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) after completing a deployment.

It was just last month that US President Donald Trump disparaged HMS Prince of Wales and her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, labeling them as “toys” and dismissing suggestions that either could be sent to the Middle East to aid the US in its ongoing standoff with Iran.

The Royal Navy has been eager to show that the £3 billion ($4 billion) aircraft carrier is not a toy, and the UK’s senior service is looking to put past mishaps and problems with its carriers behind it.

The Prince of Wales Is Heading to the High North

Last Thursday, the flagship carrier arrived at the Glen Mallan jetty on Loch Long to take on “ammunition” for the deployment. Local media reported that it was “one of the warmest days on record this year,” a welcome change to the usual environment in Scotland.

Still, the crew should expect to be sailing in much colder waters in the coming days. At the Scottish military base, the carrier received ordnance for its “Operation Firecrest” deployment to the High North, where it will operate with NATO partners in Arctic exercises.

“The High North continues to be a critical area of interest to the Royal Navy with regular deployments to the Arctic Circle and surrounding areas – working alongside allies and partners,” the Royal Navy announced in a statement. “It comes as the Royal Navy and the wider UK armed forces continue to be ready to protect UK waters and wider interests from a variety of potential threats.”

The UK-led Operation Firecrest will feature collaboration with NATO partners to counter Russian activity in the High North. It will also include cold-weather training as part of the alliance’s Arctic Sentry mission. HMS Prince of Wales will operate alongside warships and aircraft from the United States, Canada, Germany, France, and Norway.

The HMS Prince of Wales’ Specifications

• Year Commissioned: 2019
• Length: 280 meters (932 ft)
• Beam (Width): 73 meters (240 ft)
• Displacement: 65,000 tons
• Engines: Two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine alternators, four Wärtsilä 38 marine diesel engines
• Top Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph); cruising speed 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
• Range: 10,000 nmi (11,500 mi, 19,000 km)
• Armaments: 
  • Three Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon Systems)
  • Four 30mm DS30M Mk2 guns
  • Six Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns (formerly miniguns)
  • Air wing; up to 36 F-35B Lightning II jets, with a surge capacity for over 70 aircraft, including Merlin, Wildcat, Chinook, and Apache helicopters
• Crew: 679 personnel, with a capacity to accommodate up to 1,600

No British F-35Bs on This Deployment

The HMS Prince of Wales features a ski-jump ramp on its flight deck, enabling it to operate the F-35B Lightning II short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35. However, there don’t appear to be any of the planes embarked for this latest deployment.

There has been speculation that mission readiness for the F-35Bs is no better in British service than it is with the United States military, and that they can only perform required missions around one-third of the time. Another factor is that the F-35 requires additional maintenance, including specialized lubricants, to operate in potentially freezing temperatures.

Instead of sailing to the Arctic with the F-35Bs, HMS Prince of Wales departed from the Royal Navy’s Portsmouth naval base in Hampshire with Merlin helicopters from 820 Naval Air Squadron, maritime Wildcats of 815 Naval Air Squadron, and battlefield Wildcats from 847 Naval Air Squadron. Both squadrons are based at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton, one of the service’s two principal air bases. Approximately 900 sailors and Royal Marines are also embarked for this deployment to the High North.

The latest deployment of HMS Prince of Wales comes as repairs have been completed on HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is now conducting sea trials. This marked the first time since 2024 that both of the Royal Navy’s two conventionally-powered carriers were at sea at the same time, although the Queen Elizabeth is remaining at home.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

The post HMS Prince of Wales Is Headed for Its Next Deployment appeared first on The National Interest.