Royal Navy flexes its military muscles in show of strength to China as HMS Prince of Wales joins fleet of warships from US, Japan and Australia in northern Philippine Sea

Britain’s mighty aircraft carrier strike group has flexed its muscles in a show of strength to China during a major series of military drills with American, Japan and Australia. 

The Royal Navy’s £3.5billion flagship HMS Prince of Wales – the most powerful warship ever built by the UK – showed off her skills during a nine-day exercise in the northern Philippine Sea. 

The war games, one of the biggest held in the region, saw Nato ships from American, Spain, Norway and Britain joining forces with Australian and Japanese allies.

Thousands of military personnel from four battle groups – the USS George Washington’s Carrier Strike Group Five, USMC Amphibious Ready Group, Japan’s Kaga Battle Group, and the UK’s own fleet – were involved. 

The exercise also saw Britain’s fleet of supersonic F-35B stealth jets taking to the skies in mock dog fights and simulated attack runs. 

The huge display of military might comes as tensions between China and the West continue to flare, as Beijing threatens war against its neighbour Taiwan – which borders the Philippine Sea in the north. 

Last month, Defence Secretary John Healey warned Britain was ready to fight should China launch an assault on Taiwan – whose standing military of 169,000 is vastly outgunned by China’s two-million strong armed forces. 

Speaking on board the 65,000-tonne HMS Prince of Wales before she departed Australia for the war games, Mr Healey said: ‘If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together.

The exercise, involving 11 warships and 23 aircraft, saw British F-35B stealth jets carrying out mock dog fights with allies (an F-35, left, is seen operating with a US Navy F/A-18E)

Pictured are some of the warships involved in the huge military drill earlier this month 

‘We exercise together and by exercising together and being more ready to fight, we deter better together.’

Xi Jinping, China’s president, has not ruled out the use of force in the ‘reunification of the motherland’ – with Beijing insisting it has sovereignty over Taiwan, something the government in Taipei firmly rejects. 

Many fear Xi Jinping could launch his much-vaunted onslaught in 2027 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). 

Beijing has already carried out a series of live-fire naval exercises in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand – and has tested out vast barges which could be deployed as part of a major amphibious invasion of Taiwan. 

Mr Healey’s comments, made to the Telegraph, were among some of the most robust from a British official on the subject of the UK joining a future war in the region. 

The Defence Secretary insisted he was talking merely in ‘general terms’, and that Britain would prefer to see any disputes in the Indo-Pacific resolved ‘peacefully’ and ‘diplomatically’.

As part of Britain’s National Security Strategy published earlier this year, the Government recognised that ‘there is a particular risk of escalation around Taiwan’. 

However, the display by the UK Carrier Strike Group and its international allies could risk inflaming the already-strained relations with Beijing, with China’s navy having recently operated off the Taiwanese coast several hundred miles to the north. 

Defence Secretary John Healey (pictured on a visit to the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier today) said Britain is preparing to be ready to fight in the Pacific

China’s president Xi Jinping (pictured) has previously said he would not rule out using force in the ‘reunification of the motherland’

Beijing regularly sends warplanes and naval vessels towards Taiwan. Pictured: Taiwan Coast Guard Special Task Unit members onboard a speedboat simulate a response to a vessel highjacking emergency, during a joint-forces exercise in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 8

The drills involved 11 warships and 23 aircraft and was critical proving ground to see if such a vast fighting force could operate smoothly with one another, should war erupt.

As part of this, the drill saw an historic first landing of a British F-35 on the deck of Japanese helicopter carrier JS Kaga. 

Commodore James Blackmore, head of the UK Carrier Strike Group, said: ‘Bringing together the large deck forces from the UK, Japan, and US, as well as escort vessels from Spain, Norway, and Australia, in such close-range showcases the strength and inter-changeability of our combined task groups.

‘Operating together during the many evolutions over the past few weeks demonstrates the enhanced interoperability and the commitment of our partners and allies to the Indo-Pacific region.’

The war games focused on anti-submarine warfare drills and flying operations, which included landing other nations’ aircraft on deck.

Pictured are F-35B stealth jets landing on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales during the drills 

In a demonstration of interoperability, a British F-35 landing on the Japanese warships JS Kaga before taking off from the vessel’s flight deck (pictured)

F-35B Lightning jets also took part in a series of mock ‘dog fights’ during the nine-day drill 

Japanese, American and British commanders are pictured working together – with Commodore James Blackmore, Commander UK Carrier Strike, seen far right 

It culminated in a multi-national squadron of fighter jets working in close formation during a dramatic fly-past of naval leviathan HMS Prince of Wales. 

Speaking of the war games, Lieutenant Commander Dan Latham, 809 Naval Air Squadron said: ‘It was a real privilege and the highlight of my embarkation so far to land the first UK F35B on JS Kaga.

‘Although the hard work to enable this evolution had taken months to prepare, on the day itself all force elements integrated seamlessly. 

‘It truly demonstrated the ease with which the UK and Japan can operate together in the Indo-Pacific region, now and in the future.’

The aircraft carrier, which set sail from its home in Portsmouth, is on her maiden deployment to the Far East as part of Operation Highmast. 

She is due to visit Tokyo from late August to early September. Other ships from her support group – including Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond and Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Tidespring wlll also visit Busan in South Korea. 

The entire carrier strike group is expected to return to the UK in December.