In focus – composition, aims and future of UK carrier strike
Deployment of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to the Indo-Pacific in a few months is intended to be its defining military operation of the year, during which its armed forces are likely to face cuts amid a significant downturn in spending.
When HMS Queen Elizabeth departs the UK later this year to begin the deployment of the country’s renewed carrier strike capability to the Indo-Pacific region, it is worth remembering that a decade will have passed since the decommissioning of HMS Ark Royal in 2011 and the sudden gapping of fixed-wing carrier aviation.
That the capability gap has managed to be filled at all is testament to a multitude of efforts behind the scenes in the MoD, RN and industry. External factors too will have played a role in convincing the UK that it needed to be able to perform naval
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition]()
Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition
Schiebel is pursuing opportunities in the UK and France while leveraging its integration with Naval Group’s FDI frigate programme to create new naval business across Europe.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Red Cat eyes South American market for USV-led EEZ surveillance]()
Eurosatory 2026: Red Cat eyes South American market for USV-led EEZ surveillance
Success with the US Army’s Black Widow programme may have strengthened Red Cat’s international position, but executives believe the next growth opportunity lies in uncrewed surface vessels.
-
![US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits]()
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
