HMS Prince of Wales named
The Royal Navy’s second aircraft carrier has been officially named HMS Prince of Wales on 9 September during a ceremony in Rosyth, Scotland.
The naming comes three weeks after the first aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, entered its home port of Portsmouth as part of its maiden sea trials programme.
HMS Prince of Wales is expected to carry out sea trials in 2019 before entering Royal Navy service.
The aircraft carriers will maintain a continuous carrier strike presence for Royal Navy and Air Force operations worldwide.
There are currently 150 Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel undertaking F-35 aircraft training in the US. The UK will have 14 of these jets by the end of 2017, with initial flight trials from the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth planned for 2018.
The Queen Elizabeth class carriers are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, an alliancing relationship between BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales, and the UK Ministry of Defence.
More from Naval Warfare
-
South Korea advances next-gen naval concepts for future force needs
HHI and Hanwha Ocean outline highly autonomous and unmanned-enabled designs as the ROKN explores force structure for the 2030s and beyond.
-
US Navy seeks industry partners to address pressing research needs
The Office of Naval Research will host an Industry Engagement Day in August aiming at building new partnerships and advancing its science and technology initiatives in multiple areas.
-
Raytheon awarded $1.2 billion in contracts for AN/SPY-6(V) radars for the US Navy
Under the most recent contract, the US Navy will receive four additional AN/SPY-6(V) radars, increasing the number of radars under contract to 42. The radars are considered key for expanding the navy’s capability for air defence.