Dzirhan Mahadzir – July 8, 2026 12:33 PM
Two Royal Navy F-35B Lightning II fighters intercepted a Russian Tu-142 Bear F Maritime Patrol Aircraft over the Norwegian Sea after it repeatedly approached aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09), the U.K Ministry of Defence announced Monday.
“The aircraft flew unnecessarily close to HMS Prince of Wales, dropped multiple sonobuoys nearby, and failed to respond on international safety frequencies. This activity was unsafe and unprofessional,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement shared to its official X account.
On Thursday, two embarked F-35Bs intercepted and escorted the Tu-142 until it left the area. The U.K. Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Norwegian Sea off the coast of Iceland on Operation Firecrest. The U.K. CSG includes Prince of Wales, destroyer HMS Duncan (D37) and fleet oiler RFA Tidespring (A136).
“The Carrier Strike Group continues to operate with NATO allies in the High North, reinforcing security across the Arctic and North Atlantic,” reads the ministry’s statement. which did not state when the incident occurred though its released images of the intercept states it as occurring on Jul. 2.
The Ministry of Defence said the Tu-142 dropped a total of 10 sonobuoys into the water, The BBC reported. Sonobuoys are used for detecting submarines. In 2022, China accused Australia of harassing a People’s Liberation Army Navy task group by dropping sonobuoys from a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon MPA near its ships. Australia countered that the use of sonobuoys for maritime surveillance was common practice and that the sonobuoys were dropped a significant distance away from the PLAN ship.
The intercept was conducted by 809 Naval Air Squadron whose aircraft are flown and maintained by an equal mix of Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel, according to a Tuesday news release from the Royal Navy.
The U.K. CSG is conducting air policing operations as part of the latest phase of Operation Firecrest. This is the first time NATO has conducted air policing operations from a European aircraft carrier.
“Air defense is a core role for the Lightning Force and having been accredited previously from land bases, it is great to see the capability expanded further to support our allies from an embarked environment,” Cmdr. Nick Smith, commanding officer of 809 Naval Air Squadron, said in the release.
Operation Firecrest is the U.K. CSG’s operational deployment to the North Atlantic and High North. Prince of Wales departed from Portsmouth in April to begin the deployment. The U.K. CSG is currently operating under NATO command, supporting Nato Vigilance Activity Arctic Sentry, a multi-domain military activity launched in February that is aimed at strengthening NATO’s posture in the Arctic and High North.
NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk, which leads Arctic Sentry, said that incidents like the Tu-142 intercept underscore the importance of NATO’s persistent presence and integrated operations across the High North.
“Together, Allies remain ready, capable, and united – demonstrating credible deterrence, strengthening collective defence and ensuring the Alliance can respond to challenges wherever they arise,” reads the statement.
Meanwhile Prince of Wales’ sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), is now serving as the flagship of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force (Maritime), also known as ARF (M). The U.K. took over the leadership role from Spain with Royal Navy Rear Adm. Mark Anderson assuming command of the force. The carrier is now the Afloat Command Platform from which Anderson and his battle staff command and coordinate ARF maritime operations, if activated, during the U.K.’s 12-month duty, reads a Royal Navy news release.
At the same time the Royal Navy takes charge of the ARF(M), the U.K.’s Special Operations Forces assumed leadership of the Special Operations Component Command within the ARF for the first time, according to the release. Spearheading its maritime element are Royal Marines of 42 Commando, who form the Special Operations Maritime Task Group, which also include a range of specialist teams drawn from across the Royal Navy and U.K. Commando Force.
Meanwhile French aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R91) is headed home to Toulon, following nearly two months of operations around the Straits of Hormuz.
France is reorganizing its naval presence in the Middle East because the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. France has deployed two minehunters, two frigates and a maritime patrol aircraft, which are ready to contribute alongside France’s partners, to the full resumption of navigation and to ensure the safety of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
“In light of this favorable development and the changing needs, following the constructive exchanges I had with the Sultan of Oman, I have decided to adapt our deployment. The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is thus returning to its home port in Toulon, while our mine countermeasures assets and their escort remain deployed and ready to intervene alongside our partners. France remains fully engaged and will continue to adjust its assets based on the evolving situation and the region’s security needs,” Macron said.
Open source satellite imagery shows Charles De Gaulle was in the Mediterranean on Sunday. The carrier set out from Toulon on Jan. 27 as the flagship of the French CSG for the Lafayette 26 deployment. The CSG was slated to operate in the Atlantic and High North, but it was rerouted to the Mediterranean at the end of February due to events in the Middle East. The CSG sailed to the Red Sea in early May, USNI News previously reported.
Dzirhan Mahadzir
Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Among the publications he has written for and currently writes for since 1998 includes Defence Review Asia, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Navy International, International Defence Review, Asian Defence Journal, Defence Helicopter, Asian Military Review and the Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.