The UK Carrier Strike group will set sail in May 2021 for a 5 or 6-month deployment. It has not been finally confirmed by government as yet but it seems likely the ships will operate for some of the time in the South China Sea. In this 2-part article, we look at the current situation| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
As HMS Richmond prepares to join the UK Carrier Strike Group deployment, she has been equipped with a significant communications upgrade, enhancing her ability to share combat data at speed. Richmond is the first Type 23 to receive the integrated Link 16 Crypto Modernised system. This upgrade enables more secure and faster tactical data sharing| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
HMS Westminster, a Wildcat helicopter and three RAF Typhoon jets launched a variety of weapons, sinking the former USS Boone during exercise Atlantic Thunder held on 7th September. The exercise was a very rare live test of complex weapons against a warship target. HMS Westminster fired two Harpoon anti-ship missiles at the same time as| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
HMS Prince of Wales has concluded a landmark series of joint operations with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force in the Philippine Sea, the first time a UK jet has landed on a Japanese warship. The exercise, part of Operation HIGHMAST, brought together four powerful multinational task groups. The 9-day exercise saw the UK Carrier Strike| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
Royal Navy flagship, HMS Prince of Wales, has arrived in Tokyo for a landmark port visit that deepens UK–Japan defence ties. HMS Queen Elizabeth stopped in the Japanese capital in 2021, but the value of the visit was severely limited by COVID restrictions. The visit is the centrepiece defence-diplomacy activity of the deployment and underscores| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
The RN is unlikely to see an increase in its major anti-submarine platforms in the near future. Recognising the danger posed by the continually evolving underwater threat, it has launched ASW Spearhead, an initiative to maximise the effectiveness of the assets its already has. There will be some new hardware, in the form of new| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
