HMS Queen Elizabeth to conduct flight trials in UK waters

Maritime January 29, 2020

HMS Queen Elizabeth will conduct flight trials for F-35 Lightning jets in UK waters after sailing from Portsmouth.

The jets conducted their first maritime flight trials from an aircraft carrier last year and the new tests will allow pilots to practise landing on the deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The 65,000-tonne warship has previously only carried out trials with the jets while training in the Atlantic during 2018 and 2019.

The joint Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Lightning Force Training squadron, 207 Squadron, will conduct the trials, flying aircraft to and from the decks, day and night from their base at RAF Marham. Six pilots, both navy and air force, will carry out their aircraft carrier qualification in that time.

Captain Angus Essenhigh, Commanding Officer of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, said: “It is a real honour for me to be taking HMS Queen Elizabeth to sea for the first time as her new Commanding Officer.”

“This period at sea will build on the successes of the Westlant 19 deployment, providing a fantastic opportunity for the ship to further its generation towards carrier strike, and will train and qualify UK F-35 pilots in UK waters for the very first time.”

The trials will give the pilots practise in landing on the 4.5-acre deck in a range of conditions, as well as testing the ship’s crew and systems in operating with the jets that the ship, and her sister, HMS Prince of Wales, were specifically built to fly. This year will see the continuation of the ship to air wing partnerships and next year will mark the start of full carrier strike capability.

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capability F-35 Lightning HMS Prince of Wales HMS Queen Elizabeth pilot training Royal Navy ship