The United Kingdom has closed its carrier strike capability gap. The UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by the Royal Navy's first-in-class aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, is now well into the Indo-Pacific phase of its 28-week inaugural deployment, known as CSG21. Meanwhile, second-in-class HMS Prince of Wales continues to prepare for CSG operations after completing basic operational sea training in June and deploying to the Mediterranean, including visiting Gibraltar. "We're at initial operational capability [IOC] now and that's what we deployed in Queen Elizabeth and her strike group," Rear Admiral Michael Utley, Commander UK Strike Force, told Janes. "That sees us able to operate the carrier with F-35 fighters, integrated with destroyers, frigates, and other assets, to a level of capability we expected as we went through the programme over the last 10 years. Where we want to develop to move forwards to full operational capability [FOC], the two main areas are: F-35 numbers, as they come up and we form a second operational squadron; and building the Crowsnest [airborne surveillance and control capability] into its FOC. We expect to do that towards the end of 2023."
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