CSG21: Incredible New Images Of F-35s On HMS Queen Elizabeth

Incredible new photos show F-35B Lightning II aircraft operating from Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The fighter jets have been showcasing the continued interoperability between the UK and US, their ships and strike fighter squadrons while at sea during the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) deployment.

F-35Bs from 617 Squadron and the US Marine Corps' VMFA 211 are embarked on the flagship, conducting sorties with the aircraft of the US Navy amphibious assault ship USS America.

Joint exercising between the UK Carrier Strike Group and the US Expeditionary Strike Group 7 has covered a range of trials, including Naval Gunfire Support, amphibious landings, Replenishment at Sea (RAS) and joint flying.

The 28-week CSG21 deployment, which began in May, will cover a total of 26,000 nautical miles, travelling through the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, then from the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Philippine Sea.

Cover image: F-35B Lightning II jets of 617 Squadron (Picture: MOD Crown Copyright).