Navy

Northern exposure: F-35Bs make their presence felt in the Arctic and North Atlantic

Mike Morton

5th November 2026 at 1:24pm

Two F-35B jets taxi to the launch zone on the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales - one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK

The F-35B pilot gets a thumbs up - the stealth jet is now ready to take off on another enhanced vigilance activity in the High North - an area which is attracting plenty of unwelcome attention from Russia

F-35B 047 prepares to launch - the B variant is capable of STOVL - short take-off and vertical landing - perfect for Royal Navy carrier operations

F-35B 044 approaches the ski jump - the STOVL capability avoids the need for the Navy to operate a carrier with a complicated steam or electromagnetic catapult

In a scene reminiscent of the Harriers and Sea Harriers during the Falklands War, the jet takes off - note the directional exhaust providing a degree of downward thrust

The success of any F-35B carrier sortie is down to the hard work of not just the pilot, but the deck crew and aircraft technicians as well

Like the Harriers and Sea Harriers of yesteryear, an F-35B comes in to make a vertical landing on the flight deck of the largest warship in the Royal Navy's modern-day fleet

With the sortie over, the F-35B prepares to touch down - the B variant is able to land vertically - a feat that's not possible with the larger and heavier C variant flown by the US Navy and Marine Corps

HMS Prince of Wales sails in calm waters - something the F-35Bs and their allies on Neptune Strike aim to protect at all costs

F-35B Lightning jets have been making a show of force to deter potential Russian aggression in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The stealth jets on board Royal Navy Flagship HMS Prince of Wales are taking part in the fourth phase of Neptune Strike 26.

Neptune Strike 26-4, a multi-domain commitment to collective defence and deterrence, involves around 20 ships and 40 aircraft from 17 nations.

While the 617 Squadron jets take part in the enhanced vigilance activity, they are also part of the UK Carrier Strike Group's (CSG) Operation Firecrest deployment.

Throughout the current phase of the operation the focus is on maintaining operational readiness, strengthening interoperability and ensuring the UK is prepared to respond to the challenges of an increasingly important region.

HMS Prince of Wales and her F-35s are accompanied by Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless as well as Merlin Mk4 Commando and Mk2 anti-submarine warfare helicopters, Wildcat helicopters and Malloy drones.

More than 1,200 British personnel are deployed as part of the CSG, working closely with allies including Norway, Denmark and Germany.

Firecrest's second phase follows a summer in which its aircraft conducted Nato air policing activities and practised long-range strike missions, while its ships and helicopters trained to counter threats above and below the water.

All images courtesy of the Ministry of Defence