The Royal Navy’s new Carrier Strike Group has assembled for the first time, marking the beginning of a new era of operations.

HMS Queen Elizabeth has embarked the largest number of warplanes ever onto her deck as she prepares to take her place at the heart of a UK-led NATO Carrier Strike Group.

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth set sails from Portsmouth yesterday to ensure she is ready to conduct her first operational deployment in 2021.

British F-35B Lightning jets have flown from the decks of HMS Queen Elizabeth in UK waters, the first time fighter jets have operated from a British carrier in home waters in a decade.

HMS Queen Elizabeth has sailed from her home port of Portsmouth on January 24, 2020 to conduct flight trials with UK F-35 Lightning jets in UK waters.

Portsmouth Naval Base has undertaken a programme of infrastructure upgrades ahead of the arrival of the UK’s second Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy said on November 5.