London/Beijing (Agencies): The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy is gearing up for one of its largest naval deployments in years as the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales prepares to depart Portsmouth on April 22, leading a formidable multinational strike group into the increasingly tense Indo-Pacific region.
The mission, code-named Operation Highmast, comes amid rising geopolitical friction and is widely interpreted as a signal to China. British media reports have stirred controversy by claiming the Prince of Wales holds a significant edge over China’s aircraft carriers — Liaoning and Shandong — in a potential open-ocean conflict.
According to a report by The Telegraph, the fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II fighter jets aboard the Prince of Wales provide a technological superiority over the Chinese J-15 fighters stationed on the Liaoning and Shandong. The report claims the Royal Navy’s air wing could outmatch both Chinese carriers simultaneously, especially when backed by an Astute-class attack submarine, regarded as one of the world’s most lethal.
The Chinese state media swiftly criticized the British report, dismissing it as provocative and exaggerated. “The British media believes that it is precisely because of the huge generation gap between these fighters that the British aircraft carrier has the confidence to fight against two Chinese aircraft carriers in an ocean combat environment,” Chinese outlets stated.
The Prince of Wales will be accompanied by a comprehensive strike group including a Type-45 destroyer, a Type-23 frigate, a Tide-class tanker, an attack submarine, and aviation support vessels. The deployment includes nearly 5,000 personnel from the UK’s Army, Navy, and Air Force, and involves cooperation with 12 allied nations, including France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and Norway.
Equipped with up to 24 F-35B fighters from RAF Squadron 617 and NAS 809, the carrier will also carry Merlin Mk2 ASW helicopters and Wildcat helicopters to bolster its surveillance and interdiction capabilities.
The strike group will initially join NATO’s Neptune Strike 25-1 in the Mediterranean, before transiting the Suez Canal to engage in joint drills with India, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Port calls are scheduled in Australia and Japan, including a notable engagement in Tokyo Bay in late August.
While it remains unclear whether the carrier will traverse the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait, such a move could trigger heightened diplomatic tensions with Beijing. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has consistently opposed foreign naval presence near its maritime claims.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has billed Operation Highmast as the most ambitious post-Brexit deployment, reaffirming London’s intent to play a key role in Indo-Pacific security and strengthen ties with regional allies. The Prince of Wales strike group is expected to complete its 227-day mission by December 2025.