A full-scale mock jet crash, teams scrambling across the deck, and emergency crews racing to respond, this isn’t a scene from a blockbuster, it’s what’s happening aboard the Royal Navy’s most powerful aircraft carrier right now.
With the clock ticking down to a major deployment, HMS Prince of Wales is in the final stages of intense training before heading to the Indo-Pacific later this month. Based out of HMNB Portsmouth, the carrier will soon take command of the UK Carrier Strike Group, leading a nine-month mission involving military drills, diplomatic visits to Japan, Australia, and more.
This isn’t just a flag-waving tour. The Prince of Wales will operate alongside F-35B stealth fighter jets, helicopters, and the cutting-edge Malloy T-150 drones, joined by Royal Navy escorts and international allies.
But before she sets sail, the crew must be ready for anything, starting with high-pressure training in worst-case scenarios.
This week, sailors were thrown into a dramatic simulation: an F-35 fighter jet, moments from take-off, suffers an undercarriage failure and crashes into the carrier’s island structure. What followed was a meticulously choreographed emergency response involving multiple agencies and lightning-fast decision-making.
Lieutenant Mbongiseni Nyathi, an air weapons specialist aboard the ship, explained:
“The scenario involved an F-35 about to take off when its undercarriage failed, causing it to veer off and crash into the island. Our job as subject matter experts is to review that scenario and determine the best possible way of dealing with the accident.”
To make the situation as real as possible, the Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron (JARTS) provided a model wreckage, while explosive ordnance disposal teams, the Defence Safety Authority’s Accident Investigation Branch (DAIB), security personnel, and experts from the Institute of Naval Medicine all leapt into action.
The post-crash management team had to rescue casualties, contain the situation, and prevent any further danger. Once the scene was secured, investigators advised the sailors on how to preserve evidence, including securing CCTV, retrieving flight data recorders, and conducting witness interviews, just as they would in a real-world crash.
Squadron Leader Peter Pateman from the DAIB said:
“Being able to conduct simulated crash exercises is a key part of DAIB’s tools to develop not only DAIB skills but also partner organisations’ capabilities.”
This realistic, high-stakes training is all part of preparing the Royal Navy’s flagship to take point in a strategically critical region. With global tensions high and freedom of navigation under threat in key waterways, HMS Prince of Wales is getting ready not just to sail, but to lead.
