Carrier Strike Group forms for the first time
The UK's HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group has formed for the first time on the Westlant 19 deployment, the Royal Navy announced on 26 September.
The carrier has been joined by destroyer HMS Dragon, frigate HMS Northumberland and fleet tanker RFA Tideforce off the eastern seaboard of the US following the completion of the Canadian-led submarine hunting exercise Cutlass Fury in which Northumberland took part.
Dragon has now left the task force to join another carrier group working in the same waters off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The destroyer will form part of Carrier Strike Group 10, led by USS Dwight D Eisenhower which is undergoing a US Navy Tailored Ship's Training Availability programme.
Dragon will then re-attach to the Queen Elizabeth group ready to begin combined training with UK F-35 Lightning stealth fighters from 617 Squadron.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
Lockheed Martin strengthens Spanish SPY-7 radar supply chain
The global defence giant chose a Spanish firm for its work on the Bonifaz-class frigate.
-
Oostende mine countermeasures vessel begins sea trials
The first vessel in the Belgian-Dutch rMCM mine-clearing fleet, the Oostende, has begun its sea trials before officially entering service in 2025.
-
US Navy places $312 million contract with Textron Systems for landing craft
Textron’s latest order for Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) follows on from a contract placed in August 2023 for five LCAC.
-
Japan to boost surface fleet with new destroyers and missile ships
Japan is enhancing its naval capabilities with the construction of the 13DDX advanced destroyer and Aegis System Equipped Vessels (AESV), aiming to strengthen its air and missile defence amid increasing security threats, particularly in East Asia.