HMS Queen Elizabeth: Italian jets operate from carrier's flight deck

Italy has become the first European NATO ally to operate fighter jets from HMS Queen Elizabeth's flight deck.

Italian F-35B Lightning jets, the same variant as the joint UK/US stealth fighter currently operating from the Royal Navy flagship, landed, re-fuelled and relaunched from the carrier.

HMS Queen Elizabeth has now hosted onboard jets from three counties since departing for the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) deployment.

• F-35s operating from HMS Queen Elizabeth again following crash
• F-35 crash: Joint UK-US recovery operation under way
• Navy racing to recover crashed F-35B jet

Watch: F-35s return to flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth following jet crash.

Commodore Steven Moorhouse, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, said the fact US, UK and Italian F-35s can fly from "one another's decks offers tactical agility and strategic advantage to NATO".

HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently on her way back to the UK from the Indo-Pacific region – where she was deployed on CSG21.

It comes as F-35 jets recently started flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth again following a jet crashing shortly after taking off from the carrier in the Mediterranean.