British and Italian service air and sea energy converged over the Mediterranean on Saturday as Italian and UK F-35B jets, joined by Italian Navy AV-8B Harriers, flew in formation over HMS Prince of Wales and Italy’s flagship Cavour.
The flight adopted the conclusion of Train Neptune Strike, a core aspect of Operation Highmast, the UK’s eight-month world service deployment. Italian F-35Bs embarked straight on HMS Prince of Wales for the train, validating the 2 nations’ skill to function a genuinely interchangeable Joint Service Air Wing.
In accordance with the official launch, the deployment “proved interoperability and interchangeability between the 2 nations,” with the mixed air wing flying missions on behalf of NATO throughout the Mediterranean.
Operation Highmast is now getting into its last phases. After a five-month sweep by the Indo-Pacific, the UK service strike group has re-entered the Mediterranean for a last sequence of multinational workouts earlier than returning house. The mission has concerned round 4,500 British personnel, together with practically 600 RAF aviators, 900 troopers and a pair of,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.
The UK describes Highmast as a strategic sign of long-term dedication to each Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific safety. The Italian navy’s integration into the service air wing reinforces NATO efforts to standardise operations at sea, creating mixed service strike teams in a position to surge at quick discover.
Saturday’s fly-past was captured by photographer AS1 Amber Mayall.