Navy

Watch: HMS Prince of Wales leaves Portsmouth for drone and F-35 trials off US

Watch: HMS Prince of Wales leaves Portsmouth for three months of trials.

Britain's biggest warship, HMS Prince of Wales, has left Portsmouth naval base for trials with drones and F-35 jets on her longest deployment yet.

The 280-metre-long aircraft carrier, which recently returned to action after nine months of repairs, will voyage to the US' Eastern Seaboard and return to the UK before Christmas.

During the three-month deployment, the £3bn warship will work with advanced drones to deliver supplies, see F-35B Lightning stealth fighters land and take off from her flight deck in a variety of ways and in the toughest sea conditions and improve the range and weather in which the US Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aicraft can fly in.

In the Channel, the ship, together with UK firm W Autonomous Systems, will test to see if drones can carry supplies of up to 100kg of stores to vessels while at sea.

Captain Richard Hewitt, the ship's Commanding Officer Captain, said: "We are all excited for the longest deployment of HMS Prince of Wales.

"Being the first to operate with this level of drone will be a huge achievement and keep us on the front foot as we prepare for the next major Carrier Strike Group deployment in 2025."

Watch: What it's like scrambling F-35Bs from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.

The Royal Navy and its supporting flotilla from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are trying out drones to remove expensive naval helicopters from missions.

Once off the coast of the US, the F-35B fighters will undergo their last training phase from the carrier, the Royal Navy said.

The training will see more advanced take-off and landing techniques tested, allowing the fifth-generation aircraft to return to the carrier faster and heavier while holding more fuel and weapons.

Commander Martin Russell, who is leading the ship's air group and flight deck operations, said: "My team are really excited to tackle the final phase of testing, which will expand the F-35's awesome capabilities even more – and to be the first to land and launch new types of drones on our deck. The deck team are ready and raring to go."

Elsewhere, the Mojave drone, which has the capacity for 1,500lb of missiles, rockets, and bombs, will be examined to see if it can land on the ship's deck.

HMS Prince of Wales, which weighs 65,000 tonnes and can hit a top speed of 25 knots, is set to go on a global deployment in 2025.

You can rewatch Forces News' live broadcast of the ship departing Portsmouth below: