[17] For a Maritime Force Protection tasking, the CVW may consist of Merlin HM2 helicopters operating in both the anti-submarine warfare and airborne early warning (AEW) roles.

[16] By 2030, the Royal Navy aims to replace some of these helicopter platforms with medium-sized fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles, currently known as Vixens, capable of undertaking strike, air-to-air refueling, electronic warfare and airborne early warning missions.

During the Second World War, it operated 85 aircraft carriers of various types which were deployed in task forces alongside battleships, destroyers and cruisers.

[28] The earliest iteration of the UK Carrier Strike Group originally formed in 2006 with Commodore Alan Richards in command.

[2][29] In one of its final deployments, it demonstrated its capabilities alongside the US Navy off the east coast of the United States during Exercise Auriga in 2010.

[30][29] As an example of the size and composition of a UK CSG of that era, the Auriga CSG consisted of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, along with her air wing of Harrier GR9 strike aircraft, Merlin HM1 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters and Sea King MK7 airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) helicopters.

[2] Prior to the entry into service of HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy cooperated with its allies to preserve and develop its skills in carrier strike group operations.

[37] It comprised a total of nine ships, 15 fighter aircraft (five from the Royal Air Force and 10 from the US Marine Corps[38]), 11 helicopters and 3,000 personnel.

[40] Following Exercise Joint Warrior, the UK CSG reached its initial operating capability (IOC) milestone in January 2021.

[42] The strike group's air component amounted to over 30 aircraft, the majority of which were onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.

[44] Whilst these missions were underway, HMS Defender and HNLMS Evertsen detached from the strike group and headed into the Black Sea to carry out Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs).

Whilst transiting from Odesa, Ukraine to Batumi, Georgia, HMS Defender entered the waters around Crimea, the centre of a Russian-Ukrainian sovereignty dispute, which resulted in the Russian authorities firing warning shots.

[46] By 7 July 2021, both HMS Defender and HNLMS Evertsen had rejoined the strike group and it left the region via the Suez Canal.

[50][51] Finally, in the Indo-Pacific region, the strike group exercised with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy.

[52] During its return trip, the strike group exercised with the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean; HMS Queen Elizabeth set a record by hosting jets from three different nations on a single flightdeck.

[52] During its time in the Mediterranean, HMS Queen Elizabeth suffered its first loss of an F-35B when one crashed into the sea following an aborted takeoff.

[52] The CSG21 deployment was covered by documentary filmmaker Chris Terrill in a BBC series, named The Warship: Tour of Duty.

The deployment was subsequently downscaled as HMS Queen Elizabeth was diverted to the United States to replace Prince of Wales in hosting the Atlantic Future Forum.

The group operated in European waters alongside ships from a number of other navies, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway.

[57] In January 2024, the UK announced its participation in Steadfast Defender 2024, the largest NATO military exercise since the end of the Cold War, involving assets from all three armed services, including the Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group, headed by HMS Queen Elizabeth.

[61] As part of the UK-led Exercise Joint Warrior, the CSG operated off the Norwegian coast alongside more than 30 ships, four submarines and multiple aircraft from NATO allies.

[66] The CSG will centre around the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, embarked with an air wing of 24 F-35B Lightning jets — the largest maritime deployment of the type to date.