UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales arrives in Oslo this weekend after an intensive fortnight of training in and around Norway.

The Portsmouth-based warship concluded the dynamic phase of her 2026 Firecrest deployment—which has been focused on operating a fifth-generation aircraft carrier in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters to bolster the defense of the North Atlantic, including the Iceland-Greenland-UK gap—with a series of rapid and varied demanding international training.

The carrier, her air group and her supporting vessels, plus NATO allies, have been demonstrating the current resolve to safeguard the Northern Flank—and paving the way for future even tighter integration.

Firecrest phase two has seen an extremely rare exercise for naval air power with the strategic arm of the US Air Force.

The carrier’s F-35Bs took their place alongside Norwegian Air Force land-based variants, F-35As, escorting a US B-52 bomber.

To expand warfighting capabilities and options, HMS Prince of Wales then loaded ammunition while…