WESTLANT 23

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HMS Prince of Wales crosses the Atlantic and begins developmental flying trials ~ Photo Essay

HMS Prince of Wales headed to the United States in September and has now begun a series of test flights with various aircraft to inform the development of future Royal Navy carrier aviation. Here we cover the first part of the deployment and the start of these trials.

After the setbacks that have plagued HMS Prince of Wales’ entry into service, the long-planned Westlant 23 deployment is finally underway. She was originally expected to undertake this trip in early 2021 but this plan was derailed by a serious internal flood caused by a burst saltwater main in October 2020. The impacts of COVID combined with pressures on the RAF budget conspired to delay the trip until August 2022. The now infamous propellor shaft issue experienced as soon as she left the wall resulted in another postponement of more than a year. After repair in Rosyth, an uneventful Atlantic crossing has proven the propellor shaft repairs to be sound and the ship can look forward to taking over as the RN Fleet Flagship next year.

Continues at - https://www.navylookout.com/hms-prince- ... ng-trials/

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Short video + 3 photos - https://twitter.com/HMSPWLS/status/1718 ... 56/video/1

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World's first ever F35 night SRVL...See - https://twitter.com/HMSPWLS/status/1719029561260757340

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F-35 lands ‘backwards’ on British carrier

An F-35 has landed facing the stern, not bow, before bringing the jet to a hover and gently setting down on HMS Prince of Wales.

See - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/f-35-la ... h-carrier/

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Japanese join HMS Prince of Wales to pave way for F-35 operations by their Navy

Six senior Japanese officers watched F-35 operations on Britain’s biggest warship to help them introduce the jet into service.

The delegation from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force joined HMS Prince of Wales for a fortnight of stealth fighter trials off the USA – helping to pave the way for their own trials in the same waters in 12 months’ time.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force is modifying its Izumo-class helicopter carriers so they can operate the F-35B – already in service with the UK’s two carriers.

Prince of Wales is conducting the third phase of complex trials with the jets - known as Development Test 3 (phases one and two were carried out aboard her sister HMS Queen Elizabeth) - extending the operating limits, increasing the sortie rate, testing payloads.

Continues at - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... their-navy

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Westlant 23 - I came across this video by accident:

US Marines Land on HMS Prince of Wales in Preparation for Russia Mission

U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 conducted carrier qualifications aboard HMS Prince of Wales, preparing for the following NATO missions, which will most likely be located around the Black Sea. VMM-365 is a subordinate unit of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the aviation combat element of II Marine Expeditionary Force.
14 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing pilots qualified to operate from the deck of HMS Prince of Wales – one element of a critical theme of the Portsmouth-based warship’s autumn deployment to the Naval Station Norfolk: interaction and cooperation between the US and UK

See - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0kp0fjyo28

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HMS PWLS in company with USS George Washington, USS Leyte Gulf and French auxiliaryBRF Jacques Chevallier during interoperability training in the Western Atlantic.
https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 0995311696

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British and Amerian aircraft carriers sail together

The USS George Washington and French supply ship BRF Jacques Chevallier joined HMS Prince of Wales in the North Atlantic recently.

See - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british ... -together/

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Mojave drone successfully lands on and takes off from HMS Prince of Wales

A General Atomics Mojave Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) drone has taken off and safely landed back on board HMS Prince of Wales in the first trial of its kind conducted off the east coast of the United States on 15th November.
See - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pLWr3dH0R8

More photos and details in article here:
https://www.navylookout.com/mojave-uncr ... -of-wales/

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Mojave drone successfully lands on and takes off from HMS Prince of Wales

A General Atomics Mojave Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) drone has taken off and safely landed back on board HMS Prince of Wales in the first trial of its kind conducted off the east coast of the United States on 15th November.
See - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pLWr3dH0R8

More photos and details in article here:
https://www.navylookout.com/mojave-uncr ... -of-wales/

Royal Navy’s successful crewless aircraft trials offer ‘glimpse into the future’ of carrier operations

The largest uncrewed aircraft ever launched from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier has paved the way for the next generation of UK naval air power.

Codenamed ‘Mojave’, the specially-modified aircraft – operated remotely by a ‘pilot’ at a computer terminal – has taken-off from and safely landed back on board HMS Prince of Wales in a unique trial off the East Coast of the USA.

No crewless machine its size – nine metres long, with a wingspan of 17 metres (six metres wider than an F-35B Lightning stealth fighter) and weighing more than 1½ tonnes fully loaded – has ever flown from an aircraft carrier outside the US Navy before.

The trial off the coast of Virginia further unlocks the potential of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, demonstrating how modern uncrewed air systems can operate alongside fifth-generation crewed aircraft like the Lightnings.

“The Mojave trial is a European first – the first time that a Remotely Piloted Air System of this size has operated to and from an aircraft carrier outside of the United States,” said Rear Admiral James Parkin, Royal Navy Director Develop, whose team planned the trial.

Continues at - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... the-future