Although still not formally having achieved IOC, Crowsnest aircraft flew 362 hours in 179 sorties between 1st May and 22nd November.

The deployment saw three pre-ICO Crowsnest-equipped Merlin MK2 deployed and their first opportunity to fly together in formation, an opportunity to practice airborne surveillance picture handovers, a key skill for the Observers to master. Exercises were conducted with over 60 other types of aircraft and 44 combat missions were flown in support of Operation Shader/Inherent Resolve over Iraq. The 18 F-35 jets of VMFA-211 and 617 Squadron flew 1,278 sorties, totaling more than 2,200 hours in the air. The tailored air group embarked on the carrier flew a combined total of 4,723 hours of which 3,433 were by day & 1,290 by night covering a total of around 100,000 miles. Such details may seem frivolous but do give an insight into the considerable logistical challenges of sustaining naval forces at distance. (HMS Defender alone got through 55,000 sausages, while HMS Kent consumed just 13,000). The group hosted 66 government ministers, 106 ambassadors and around 500 senior officers of foreign militaries.Ĭrucially the MoD says the 3,700 personnel deployed consumed 25.5 tonnes of sausages, 190,000 potatoes and 2.01 million eggs. There was media coverage of the group’s activities in 99 countries and in 252 languages. 18 set-piece naval and flying exercises were conducted involving 17 other nations. While official channels rightly trumpet the many achievements of the deployment, here we provide a balanced assessment of the trip which has not been entirely plain sailing.Īway for around 244 days, the group traveled about 50,000 nautical miles, made visits to 42 nations and 3 territories, representing 47% of the world’s population and 53% of the UK’s trading partners. After more than 7 months away, the carrier strike group has returned to the UK.

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