Royal Navy Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Launches F-35s in Arctic as NATO Steps up High North Operations

Britain’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has begun launching F-35B Lightning fighter jets in Arctic and High North waters as part of a major Allied effort to strengthen deterrence and military integration across NATO’s northern flank.

The deployment forms part of NATO’s newly established Arctic Sentry activity, launched earlier this year to coordinate Allied operations across the Arctic and High North, while also serving as the centrepiece of the United Kingdom’s own Operation Firecrest deployment in the North Atlantic and Arctic.

The 65,000-tonne carrier is operating alongside NATO allies in a region that has become increasingly important to the alliance following Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO and amid growing concern over Russian military activity, undersea infrastructure security and freedom of movement across the North Atlantic.

“NATO must do even more as an alliance to ensure security in the Arctic and the High North,” Secretary General Mark Rutte said when unveiling Arctic Sentry in February, describing the initiative as a way to bring national and alliance activities under a single operational framework. Arctic Sentry is led by NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk and is intended to improve coordination of military activities across the region.

Just last week Rutte again spoke to the increasing importance of the Arctic to NATO’s security saying, “the Arctic and the High North are of growing strategic importance to our security. Norway’s expertise and leadership are essential to NATO’s posture in the region.”

UK contribution to High North deterrence 

British officials have framed Operation Firecrest as a direct contribution to NATO deterrence at a time of rising Russian maritime activity. The UK government said the carrier strike group’s deployment comes after a reported 30% increase in Russian naval activity threatening British waters over the past two years and amid growing concerns about the vulnerability of critical undersea cables and energy infrastructure. 

For Nordic countries, the deployment highlights how the High North is increasingly becoming a central theater for Allied operations. Seven of the eight Arctic states are now NATO members, and the alliance has identified the region as an area of growing strategic competition as Russia expands military activity across its Arctic coastline and China increases its interest in Arctic shipping routes and resources. 

The carrier’s current operations also build on wider air activities in northern Europe. During Exercise Ramstein Flag 26 held during June across 20 NATO countries, F-35B aircraft operating from HMS Prince of Wales conducted dispersed operations and hot-refuelling drills in Finland, including at Pirkkala Air Base. The exercise is reflective of NATO’s growing emphasis on Agile Combat Employment concepts and the ability to rapidly deploy combat aircraft across the Nordic region.

Repeat visits to the Arctic

The Arctic deployment is not the first for HMS Prince of Wales. The carrier participated in major cold-weather operations off Norway in previous years, helping the Royal Navy refine procedures for carrier aviation in harsh northern conditions.

However, the current deployment is among the most significant Allied concentrations of military capability in the High North in recent years. Arctic Sentry brings together exercises, forces and capabilities from across the alliance under a common operational approach, with activities involving tens of thousands of personnel across the broader Arctic region.

The presence of a British carrier strike group in Arctic waters also reflects a broader shift in NATO strategy. Once focused primarily on expeditionary operations further afield, the alliance has increasingly returned its attention to the North Atlantic and High North following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the rapid militarisation of the Arctic.

For Norway and its Nordic neighbours, HMS Prince of Wales’ operations serve as a visible demonstration of Allied commitment to defending the northern approaches to Europe, maintaining access across the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap and ensuring NATO can operate effectively in one of the world’s most strategically contested regions.