Jonathan Moynihan – 14th July 2026 at 12:43pm
The Royal Navy’s flagship has spent time docked in Iceland while continuing her Nato air policing mission in the vicinity of the country.
HMS Prince of Wales, which is leading the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployed in the High North and North Atlantic, is working with Reykjavik’s authorities to keep Icelandic airspace safe and secure.
809 Naval Air Squadron’s F-35B fighter jets have been using an aircraft carrier for the first time to conduct air policing missions, in which the aircraft patrol the skies to deter any foreign military aircraft from encroaching on a nation’s or region’s airspace.
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The 65,000-tonne warship also released a video on social media showing what the crew members got up to during their rest and recuperation in Iceland, including a football game, a visit to Iceland’s tallest church, Hallgrímskirkja, and a trip to the famous geysers.
The CSG is conducting several exercises to strengthen collective defence and bolster security across Nato’s northern flank.
It includes both RAF and Royal Navy F-35B fifth-generation fighter jets.
The deployment, called Operation Firecrest, comes amid increased Russian military activity in the region.
The carrier is being accompanied by Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan and tanker RFA Tidespring for the first half of the year, to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to delivering advanced warfighting capability to Nato and the Joint
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