Image: UK MoD Crown Copyright 2026
F-35 fighter jets from HMS Prince of Wales have flown NATO air policing missions from a European aircraft carrier for the first time. The milestone marks a significant expansion of naval aviation’s role in defending the High North, as per a recent press statement.
The jets are patrolling the skies above Iceland, protecting NATO allies against increasing Russian air activity in the region. HMS Prince of Wales is deployed off Iceland under NATO command as part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis MBE MP visited the deployed aircrew and personnel, accompanied by Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir. Iceland’s support for allied air operations from its territory remains central to security across the North Atlantic.
The carrier’s aviation capability will expand further under the Defence Investment Plan, which confirmed £240 million in funding for jet-powered drones. These uncrewed aircraft will form a Hybrid Carrier Air Wing, flying alongside F-35 jets from the carrier deck.
The UK’s air defence commitment extends well beyond the High North. Typhoon jets continue defending the skies over Romania, while RAF P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft patrol the Baltic Sea. RAF Quick Reaction Alert squadrons remain on standby around the clock, integrated into NATO’s air defence system to guard the Alliance’s northern air policing area.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis commented: “We live in an increasingly dangerous and uncertain time, and it’s deployments like this, supported by allies and partners including Iceland, that improve our deterrence and defence as part of NATO.”
Foreign Minister Gunnarsdóttir added: “NATO continues to strengthen its deterrence and defence, demonstrating Allied unity and resolve in the challenging environment of the North Atlantic and the Arctic.”
Read more on the UK MoD website
