Spectacular pictures show F-35s preparing to launch at night from HMS Queen Elizabeth

F-35B pilots have been conducting nighttime sorties from HMS Queen Elizabeth, with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) releasing stunning images of the stealth jets on board the Royal Navy aircraft carrier.

The F-35B Lightning jets are pictured on the flight deck of the joint most powerful warship ever operated by the Royal Navy, cloaked in darkness while their formation lights glow bright green.

In one picture, the $115m jets can be seen waiting on the outskirts of the flight deck, while another picture showed one of the 15.6m long Lightnings stationary near the vessel's ski-jump. Eight F-35Bs are stationed on board the Queen Elizabeth.

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The F-35B is a stealth fighter with a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, meaning it can take off from land and at sea from the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers without using a catapult.

However, the Lighting is different from past fighter jets because it carries its weaponry internally, creating less drag and a reduced radar signature.

The sorties are part of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s autumn deployment to the Baltic region. The pilots are flying these missions as part of their Carrier Qualifications (CQs).

The 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth is cooperating with Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which includes nations like Norway, Denmark, and Finland, who keep the Baltic stable and secure.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, which has a flight deck 280m long and 70m wide, began its latest deployment to the Norwegian and North Seas to take control of a Carrier Strike Group in early September. A Carrier Strike Group is composed of several vessels that escort aircraft carriers.