Three European aircraft carriers, including the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales, are coordinating Indo-Pacific deployments to signal joint defense cooperation and reinforce security partnerships amid China’s expanding naval presence.
Following a week-long port visit to Singapore, the Royal Navy’s flagship has begun preparations to carry out joint operations with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. The carrier airwing of HMS Prince of Wales will reportedly conduct flight operations with the JS Kaga, one of the JMSDF’s two Izumo-class multipurpose helicopter destroyers being converted to operate with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter.
Two dozen F-35Bs designated the Lightning in UK service, made up the air wing for HMS Prince of Wales. The conventionally-powered aircraft carrier departed from Portsmouth, England, in April to begin Operation Highmast, the eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific. However, following joint operations with the Indian Navy last month, one of the F-35s was forced to make an emergency landing and is now at a civilian airport in India.
HMS Prince of Wales is en route to Australia, where the carrier will take part in the upcoming Exercise Talisman Sabre, the annual joint maritime drills carried out by the Australian military. Last year, the Italian Navy’s flagship, ITS Cavour, participated in Exercise Pitch Black 2024, a large-scale training drill hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The Italian carrier also carried out F-35 training with the JMSDF.
The UK Joins Other European Aircraft Carriers in the Indo-Pacific
HMS Prince of Wales is now the third European carrier and flagship to take part in an Indo-Pacific deployment in the past year, following ITS Cavour and the Maritime Nationale’s (French Navy’s) FS Charles De Gaulle, which traveled to the region earlier this year as part of its Mission Clemenceau 25.
During that deployment, the French nuclear-powered flattop also operated with JS Kaga in Exercise Pacific Steller 2025. Unlike Italy or even the UK, France remains the only European Union nation with a permanent military presence in the Indo-Pacific, as it maintains bases in New Caledonia and French Polynesia, with around 2,300 troops stationed between the two locations. Mission Clemenceau 25 was meant to bolster regional security and enhance interoperability with its regional allies.
The staggered deployments were also intended to reinforce Europe’s commitment to security in the region, stated the UK’s Defense Minister.
Responding to a query from Ben Obese-Jecty MP, Defense Minister Maria Eagle explained that three nations had “jointly sequenced aircraft carrier deployments, including coordinating the deployment of HMS Prince of Wales with France’s Charles de Gaulle and Italy’s Cavour.”
The coordinated effort was carried out under the European Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative (ECGII), as explained by the UK Defense Journal. It noted that the “defense cooperation framework [is] aimed at improving the ability of European navies to deploy and operate together as part of a composite carrier strike group.”
The ECGII was established in 2008 when defense ministers from nine NATO nations: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom signed a declaration that led to the formalization of the initiative.
It aimed to “increase the ability of member nations to establish a Multination Carrier Strike Group (CSG): a naval group, focused on an aircraft carrier, with associated escort units (including submarines) and logistical support.”
Three carrier strike groups have traveled from Europe to the Indo-Pacific in the past year, and it could become less of a noteworthy deployment and more business as usual.
Along with Japan’s two de facto carriers, India’s two carriers, and notably China’s three aircraft carriers, there could be a lot of flattops in the region. The days of the US Navy being the only carrier power in the area may be a thing of the past.
However, for Washington, that could be good news as Europe, Japan, and India are now carrying some of the carrier weight.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at [email protected].
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