HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH’S maiden voyage will be to join the US and Japan’s joint military exercises in the Far East, as tensions with China continue to rise.
By DYLAN DONNELLYPUBLISHED: 05:35, Tue, Jul 14, 2020 | UPDATED: 14:02, Tue, Jul 14, 2020
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The UK’s new £3 billion aircraft carrier has been put forward for drills in the Far East, according to The Times. It comes as UK and China have been at odds over Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network, and over the new Hong Kong security law. The US has also pilled on pressure on the UK to take a firmer stance against Beijing.about:blankabout:blankabout:blank
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The HMS Queen Elizabeth will set sail next year according to new plans from military chiefs.
The aircraft carrier is set to be accompanied by a fleet of warships, including two Type 45 destroyers and two frigates.
HMS Queen Elizabeth will also be deployed with two squadrons of F-35B Lightning II jets, likely to be from the RAF and the US Marine Corps.
The Times revealed that the deployment is meant to counter an increasingly aggressive China.
READ MORE: South China Sea: Trump sends China MAJOR warning as US military plane keeps watch
The HMS Queen Elizabeth is set to be deployed in the Far East (Image: PA)
British military chiefs are deploying the aircraft carrier to counter China (Image: PA)
Plans have also been drawn up to send sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, to the region when it finishes training.
The aircraft carrier is said to be around 18 months behind HMS Queen Elizabeth in terms of battle readiness.
A source told the Times: “One carrier will support NATO in the North Atlantic.
“Where else are you going to put the other? On the main trade routes and to counter the emerging threat of China.
“It would be an allied task group, a British carrier, but a coalition of the willing.
“That’s how it’s being looked at.”
Japan and The US are conducting military drills in the Far East (Image: PA)
China has ramped up it’s aggressiveness towards Taiwan and other nations (Image: PA)
Vice-Admiral Jerry Kyd, fleet commander, said that the Royal Navy was “going to be coming back to the Indo-Pacific”.
He explained how Britain could get involved in the region to a webinar hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank.
He said: “Our ambition is to be absolutely persistent and forward-based there, maybe with a carrier strike group, or maybe not. We’ll see.”
Vice-Admiral Kyd added that British stealth fighter jets could be sustained “through our US allies and through the hub in Japan”, and be transported by the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
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