The HMS Prince of Wales and its F-35Bs are coming under NATO command in the Mediterranean, marking a turning point for European naval air power.
Summary
On November 17, the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and its air group were placed under the direct command of NATO in the Mediterranean. This decision, presented by London as a European first, comes as the Royal Navy’s flagship returns from an eight-month deployment in the Indo-Pacific as part of Operation Highmast, covering nearly 26,000 nautical miles (approximately 48,000 km). On board is a record-breaking wing of 24 British F-35B Lightning II fighters from 809 Naval Air Squadron and 617 Squadron, the largest concentration of F-35Bs ever deployed on a European deck. The integration of this Carrier Strike Group into the Alliance’s command structure strengthens NATO’s air and sea strike capability on its southern flank, complementing the French Charles de Gaulle and US groups. It also reflects the UK’s political choice to position itself as the leading European contributor to air and sea power, in a context of ongoing tensions with Russia, instability in the Middle East, and the rise of the Chinese and Russian navies.
British aircraft carrier placed under NATO command
The announcement by John Healey, Secretary of State for Defense, is clear: the HMS Prince of Wales and its F-35B fighter jets are now engaged under NATO command as part of large-scale exercises in the Mediterranean. According to British news reports, this is the first time that a modern British aircraft carrier and its fifth-generation carrier-based wing have been formally placed under the direct operational control of the Alliance for an extended period, rather than for a single exercise slot.
In practical terms, the ship—approximately 280 m long with a displacement of around 65,000 tons when fully loaded—becomes the main tool of an air and naval force under the command of one of NATO’s maritime commands, probably the Allied Maritime Command in Northwood or Naples, depending on the phase of the exercise. The British flag remains present, but the missions, areas of action, and use of resources are planned and validated within the NATO chain of command.
This placement under command is a continuation of a process that began in 2022, when the same ship had already served as the command ship for a NATO high-readiness maritime force. But the difference is one of scale: it is no longer just a role as a “HQ ship,” but a full integration of an aircraft carrier group with a fifth-generation fighter wing.
The geopolitical context weighs heavily. On the Alliance’s southern flank, the war in Ukraine has heightened attention on Russia’s maritime approaches, while the central and eastern Mediterranean remain an area of friction—Russian naval presence in Syria, crisis in the Black Sea, energy issues. Having an aircraft carrier capable of generating daily sorties of F-35Bs from the Mediterranean gives NATO a credible military pressure tool, without having to rely systematically on a US carrier strike group.
On the British side, the argument is twofold. Externally, London is showing that it is not only a land contributor in Eastern Europe, but that it also provides sovereign air and naval projection capabilities for the benefit of the Alliance. Internally, the government justifies the overall cost of the two aircraft carriers—estimated at over £6 billion, excluding the F-35s—by demonstrating that they are fully integrated into NATO plans and not confined to a symbolic role.
An air and sea group centered on 24 F-35B Lightning IIs
The decision comes as the British Carrier Strike Group returns to Europe after five months of operations in the Indo-Pacific as part of Operation Highmast, which is expected to last a total of around eight months. According to data released by the Ministry of Defense, the deployment involved up to 4,000 British military personnel and cooperation with some 40 countries, covering nearly 26,000 nautical miles (approximately 48,000 km).
At the heart of this operation, the air wing has reached an unprecedented level: 24 British F-35B Lightning II fighters are currently deployed on the HMS Prince of Wales, mainly from 809 Naval Air Squadron and 617 Squadron, with reinforcement from 207 Squadron based at RAF Marham for the ramp-up. This is the largest concentration of F-35Bs ever assembled on a European deck. By way of comparison, the 2021 deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth combined 18 F-35Bs, some of which were provided by the US Marines.
This critical mass changes the nature of the carrier strike group. With 24 F-35Bs, the aircraft carrier can generate successive waves of sorties, combining air-to-air, air-to-ground, and electronic intelligence gathering missions, while keeping aircraft on alert for air defense. In a typical configuration, an F-35B can cover ranges of several hundred kilometers from the ship, with additional refueling if necessary, giving NATO an air control and strike bubble extending over much of the Mediterranean basin.
Technically, the F-35B represents a quantum leap in data fusion and stealth. AESA radar, the ability to receive and distribute information via MADL or Link 16 data links, and the integration of optronic sensors provide the ship and surface group with an enhanced operational view, well beyond the conventional radar horizon. For NATO, the benefit is obvious: these aircraft can serve as advanced sensors and targeting relays for other platforms, including cruise missile systems and frigates equipped with long-range anti-aircraft missiles.
This massive deployment of F-35Bs also has an industrial dimension. Each aircraft costs around $90 to $100 million (€84 to €93 million) to purchase, depending on the batch, and the flight hour is estimated at tens of thousands of euros. The financial effort made to arm the British aircraft carrier with a sovereign wing, without recourse to the US Marines, is a direct signal to Washington: London intends to remain a leading contributor, not simply a “customer” of American capabilities.
A rise in allied air and naval deterrence
Placing the HMS Prince of Wales under NATO command with a wing of 24 F-35Bs is not simply a public relations exercise. It is a structuring move for the Alliance’s naval air posture. Until now, NATO’s aircraft carrier strike capability in Europe has relied mainly on two pillars: the French naval air group around the Charles de Gaulle, equipped with Rafale M aircraft, and the occasional deployment of US naval air groups.
With the arrival of a fully operational British aircraft carrier, NATO can, in theory, deploy two high-level European carrier strike groups, capable of operating in a coordinated manner or in a complementary fashion in separate theaters. The Mediterranean then becomes an area where the Alliance can demonstrate an almost continuous presence of aircraft carriers, capable of covering southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Levant.
The deployment in the Mediterranean is part of a busy schedule: the Italian-led Falcon Strike exercise, joint training with the Italian, US, and Greek air forces, and continued interactions with allied navies as Operation Highmast comes to an end. The F-35Bs on board will have to demonstrate their ability to work with Italian F-35As and allied F-16s or Rafales, sharing targeting data in real time.
Behind the rhetoric of “deterrence and stability,” the message to Moscow is clear. In a context where Russia maintains a naval and air presence in the eastern Mediterranean, and where the Black Sea remains militarized, a British Carrier Strike Group flying the NATO flag complicates Russia’s strategic calculations. It increases the potential cost of an escalation at sea or a show of force against a member state.
This increase in power is also a test of European cohesion. The United Kingdom, which has left the European Union, is using NATO as its primary framework for defense cooperation, while Italy is promoting its role as a framework nation in the Mediterranean with Falcon Strike. For Paris, accustomed to playing the role of “European aircraft carrier” with the Charles de Gaulle, the arrival of a second large allied aircraft carrier fully integrated into the Alliance’s plans is both a reinforcement and a reminder that no country has a monopoly on naval air power on the continent.
A conscious political choice and very real limitations
Presenting this deployment as a “European first” is not neutral. The British government wants to show that, despite budget constraints and criticism of the Royal Navy’s readiness, it is capable of putting a “fully mission-ready” British aircraft carrier, loaded with F-35Bs and placed under NATO command, into service without any doubt as to its operational credibility.
However, there are limits that London is not seeking to highlight too much. The British surface fleet remains numerically limited: a few Type 45 destroyers and Type 23 or Type 26 frigates must provide air defense, anti-submarine warfare, and escort for this aircraft carrier group in areas where the Russian submarine threat is not theoretical. The Royal Navy’s format does not allow for multiple simultaneous carrier strike groups: if the HMS Prince of Wales is on the front line, the HMS Queen Elizabeth is, by definition, less available for other theaters.
The other limitation is human and logistical. Rotating 24 F-35Bs over an eight-month deployment consumes flight hours, maintenance cycles, and crews that are already under heavy strain. The British Lightning Force is not a bottomless pit: in the short term, this type of demonstration strengthens the image, but then requires periods of regeneration. This is the price of credible deterrence: showing that you know how to do it, at the risk of also exposing the strain on resources.
Politically, the ruling team is taking a very Atlanticist stance. Placing the ship under NATO command, with John Healey and Yvette Cooper on board in Naples, serves both to reassure allies and to send an internal message: the UK is not in strategic retreat after Afghanistan or the budget cuts of the 2010s. This communication may be judged necessary or opportunistic, but it is based on reality: without visible and sustained engagement, a tool as costly as a British aircraft carrier quickly becomes a prime target for budget cuts.
One fundamental question remains, rarely addressed publicly: to what extent is NATO prepared to rely on naval aviation capabilities to manage political crises in the Mediterranean or the Middle East? The presence of the HMS Prince of Wales makes certain options more credible—limited strikes, airspace control, convoy protection—but it also increases the risk of incidents and escalation in an environment already saturated with armed actors.
The integration of the aircraft carrier and its F-35B Lightning IIs into NATO’s capabilities is therefore less of an end point than a revelation. It shows what the United Kingdom can still contribute in terms of naval power, what the Alliance can coordinate technically, but also the fragility of a model in which a few large platforms concentrate most of the strike capability. For now, London is betting that this demonstration is necessary. The coming years will tell whether the Alliance, faced with multiple and diffuse threats, will continue to rely so heavily on these large floating symbols of air and naval power.
Sources
– Ministry of Defense (UK), “UK Carrier Strike Group returns to the Mediterranean,” November 5, 2025.
– Royal Navy, “Largest number of F-35B jets ever assembled on Royal Navy aircraft carrier arrives for Med exercise,” November 6, 2025.
– Army Recognition, “UK’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales leads largest F-35B stealth jet deployment in Europe,” November 2025.
– PA / The Independent and press reports, “British aircraft carrier to be placed under direct NATO command, Healey says,” November 16–17, 2025.
– Forces News, “Bombs away: F-35B Lightnings aboard HMS Prince of Wales strike in the Indo-Pacific,” November 7, 2025.
– Wikipedia, “HMS Prince of Wales (R09)” entry, sections on characteristics and Operation Highmast 2025.
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