British Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth Underway Ahead of Training with Marine F-35s - USNI News

U.K.’s new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) has departed Portsmouth, England for a short cruise ahead of training drills with U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters, the Royal Navy announced on Wednesday.

The “Wake Island Avengers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 flew to the United Kingdom last week to train aboard Queen Elizabeth. According to a Marine Corps spokesman, 10 F-35Bs flew to the U.K. to partake in the Group Exercise, also known as GroupEx, for several weeks aboard the British aircraft carrier.

“GroupEx will establish selective interoperability to address gaps and mitigate risks within the U.S. and U.K.’s respective individual forces,” 1st Lt. Zachary Bodner, a spokesman for VMFA-211, told USNI News in a statement.