HMS Prince of Wales: When will warship be returning home to Portsmouth?

HMS Prince of Wales will return home to Portsmouth on Monday morning. Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276

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According to the King's Harbour Master, the warship will return to the harbour at 9.30am. Loved ones and well-wishers are expected to be in attendance to welcome her home.

HMS Prince of Wales[2] has been carrying out trials of unmanned aircraft off the United States' coast - giving a glimpse into the future of warfare and naval operations. The largest un-crewed aircraft ever launched from the carrier's flight deck was used in a variety of exercises.

Pictured: Mojave aircraft is taken back into the hanger after a successful trail on HMS Prince of Wales. Pic: RN

Codenamed "Mojave", the specially-modified aircraft was operated remotely by a "pilot" at a computer terminal - taking off and landing on the ship off the east coast of the USA. No crewless machine its size has ever flown from a carrier outside the US Navy before.

Rear Admiral James Parkin, Royal Navy[3] director develop - whose team planned the trial - said: "The Mojave trial is a European first - the first time that a Remotely Piloted Air System of this size has operated to and from an aircraft carrier outside of the United States.

The success of this trial heralds a new dawn in how we conduct maritime aviation and is another exciting step in the evolution of the Royal Navy's carrier strike group into a mixed crewed and un-crewed fighting force."

The warship's social media had announced they were heading "back home" on November 30.

References

1. ^ Visit Shots! now (www.shotstv.com)
2. ^ HMS Prince of Wales (www.portsmouth.co.uk)
3. ^ Royal Navy (www.portsmouth.co.uk)