UK RN’s aircraft, Merlins and F-35 fighters, on the deck of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. Credit: UK Royal Navy.

The navies of Nato allied and partner nations have deployed their aircraft carriers to carry out various maritime drills, demonstrating the alliance’s unity and resolve.

Currently underway, the manoeuvres are being held in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea region. It is scheduled to be conducted throughout this month.

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The exercise aims to showcase the collective defence of the alliance forces and involves the participation of thousands of personnel, warships, aircraft, and carrier strike groups.

Aircraft carriers deployed to serve this mission are the UK Royal Navy’s (RN) HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour, the French Navy’s FS Charles de Gaulle, and the US Navy’s USS George H W Bush and USS Gerald R Ford.

The RN’s aircraft carrier along with F-35 stealth fighter aircraft have recently departed from Portsmouth to undertake operations in the North Sea.

The US Navy’s George H W Bush is operating in the Adriatic waters and the aircraft aboard have conducted deterrence patrols over Poland and Lithuania.

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Gerald R Ford is on a short visit to Portsmouth in Stokes Bay, Gosport. The warship’s arrival in the UK precedes its last deployment alongside Spain, Denmark, Canada, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

The other two ships, Cavour and Charles de Gaulle, are operating in the Mediterranean region.

As part of the month-long deployment, all the participating assets and forces are carrying out several training operations, including deck-to-deck aircraft transfers, at-sea replenishment missions as well as anti-submarine and air warfare drills.

Nato spokesperson Oana Lungescu said: “The deployments demonstrate our ability to project power across alliance and to rapidly reinforce allies set against context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“These carriers deliver deterrence, and they help keep our sea lines of communication open.”