Britain and America’s show of strength to China: UK and US aircraft carriers steam through Pacific in display of combined military might amid mounting tensions with Beijing

UK and US aircraft carriers have been pictured steaming through the Pacific in a display of combined military might amid growing tensions with Beijing. 

As part of its eight-month mission to the Far East, HMS Prince of Wales joined USS George Washington in the Timor Sea on Friday, July 18 in a bid to help reaffirm Britain’s Indo-Pacific commitments.

The 65,000-tonne leviathan – the biggest warship ever built for Britain – sailed alongside the large US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier during Talisman Sabre 2025.  

Jaw-dropping images capture the moment the U.S. Navy aircraft, attached to a Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, was joined by Britain’s vast £3.5billion vessel, while U.S. warplanes also roared overhead. 

The maritime mission acts as a symbolic show of unity and collaboration amid China‘s growing military expansion in the Pacific, alongside its significant role in the global commercial shipbuilding market. 

Marking the first time that nuclear-powered aircrafts from both the UK and the U.S. have operated together in a coordinated maritime formation, it serves as a symbol of allyship between the powerful nations.

The maritime juggernaut is currently embarking on an eight-month global deployment under the UK Carrier Strike Group having left home shores in April.

As a multinational operation that incorporated 19 nations and more than 35,000 personnel, the Royal Navy ship was also joined by two British ships – the destroyer HMS Dauntless and the tanker RFA Tidespring.

Allied ships from Australia (HMAS Sydney), Norway (HNoMS Roald Amundsen) and Canada (HMCS Ville de Quebec), also sailed alongside the UK ship. 

As part of the U.S. Navy aircraft, F-35C stealth jets were also seen flying above the U.S.-U.K carrier strike group, while the Prince of Wales carried two dozen F-35B fighter jets. 

While the Government has not confirmed the precise route of ‘Operation Highmast’ – the codename for the deployment – the Navy has not ruled out sailing through the contentious 110-mile wide Taiwan Strait.

It also comes amid mounting fears that China is planning to launch a full-scale invasion of the island, with Beijing ‘s military having already drilled huge D-Day style assaults of Taiwan using soldiers, marines, warships and its air force.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued to test Britain’s defence capabilities, with Royal Navy warships and helicopters shadowing five Russian vessels in UK waters over the first week of July alone. 

Plymouth-based frigate HMS Iron Duke, Portsmouth-based patrol ship HMS Tyne and Wildcat aircraft from 815 Naval Air Squadron were dispatched on three separate operations in the North Sea and English Channel between July 1 and July 8.

The deployment of HMS Prince of Wales marked the fourth time a European member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Indo-Pacific in 2021. 

Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, said that the exercise on Friday, July 18, serves as a ‘real demonstration of the UK and our partners’ warfighting capabilities’. 

Meanwhile, John Healey, the UK’s Defence Secretary, said: ‘Our commitment to the Indo-Pacific is unwavering, as this huge military exercise demonstrates.

‘We will continue to work alongside our closest allies to maintain the security and stability that underpins global prosperity.’ 

The Royal Navy said that the exercise was undertaken as a mark of ‘allies demonstrating their commitment to the collective security of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region’. 

The U.S. Navy described Talisman Sabre as ‘the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States’, adding that it helps to ‘advance a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key allies and partners’. 

They also said that the exercise seeks to ‘enhance our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns.’ 

It has been undertaken as part of Operation Highmast, a 2025 mission commanded by Commodore James Blackmore and his staff from aboard HMS Prince of Wales. 

Between now and December,  the mighty fleet will conduct a series of drills and operations with air, sea and land forces of a dozen allies in the Mediterranean, Middle East, South-east Asia, Japan and Australia.

The goal is to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the security of the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific region, demonstrate collective resolve with our allies and showcase British trade and industry.

Concerns had previously been raised that the mission could potentially see the naval flotilla clashing with China when it reached the contested waters of the Indo-Pacific, while the Navy also has not ruled out the possibility of sailing through the contentious 110-mile-wide Taiwan Strait. 

A report released in early July claimed that Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, was gearing up for a potential conflict with Russia by reserving space for ships carrying military supplies.

Boudewijn Siemons, chief executive of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, told the Financial Times that it was planning how to manage if the port was flooded by British and US vehicles and supplies if needed. 

Meanwhile, China has been rapidly expanding it’s navy, building the equivalent of the entire Royal Navy in just four years – with the pace of shipbuilding outstripping even the US.

In April, the commander of the British-led carrier strike group insisted the Royal Navy stands ready to defy China – and that it is prepared for any sort of military operation.

Ahead of the UK task group’s deployment, Commodore Blackmore said: ‘I will deliver whatever mission I am ordered to go and do – that’s my role.

‘My part of the bargain is being ready for all eventualities from a combat capability, from a defence engagement capability, from a partners and allies capability, so I’m ready to exercise whatever the Government or the Ministry of Defence asks me to do.’

Adding that the deployment will send a ‘powerful message’ to allies and potential adversaries, he added: ‘It’s about supporting key trade routes that exist from the Indo-Pacific region to the UK, and supporting partners and allies in the region, showing that we are there as a capable and credible force should it be required.

‘That in a time of crisis, we can come together and fight together and show that we have a capability that we mean business with.

‘Working closely with partners from across the globe, Operation Highmast will demonstrate credible deterrence and our support to Nato and the rules-based international order.

‘This will reaffirm that the UK is secure at home and strong abroad and reinforce the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.’ 

The 2021 deployment of the UK Carrier Strike Group spearheaded by HMS Prince of Wales’s sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth – did not traverse the strait.

It led to accusations from Tory MPs that Britain was seeking to cosy up to Beijing. Should the strike group again avoid the territory, similar accusations could arise.

On April 22 2025, crowds cheered as HMS Royal Prince of Wales departed her home of Portsmouth, alongside her escort ship, HMS Dauntless. 

Banners and flags were waved by members of the public from the walls and beach of Portsmouth harbour with sailors aboard the 65,000-tonne warship waving back to cheers from the crowds as they passed.

In a tribute to the Pope Francis, HMS Prince of Wales’s ensign flag on its flight deck was at half-mast as a ‘sign of a respect’ to the late pontiff, a navy spokesman confirmed.