HMS Queen Elizabeth takes on ‘lion’s share’ of operations against Islamic State

THE Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth is taking on the “lion’s share” of operations against the so-called Islamic State group in Iraq.

It has also piqued the interest of Russian warplanes, who try to keep tabs on its cutting-edge F-35 jet in a “cat-and-mouse” game with British and US pilots.

Speaking aboard the 65,000tonne carrier on its first-ever deployment, Commodore Steve Moorhouse said the UK is carrying out most of the missions to wipe out the remnants of IS in Iraq as the US focuses on its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“At the moment, we’re taking on the lion’s share of that operation over Iraq, which is a fantastic feather in our cap. But an achievement that ‘A’, we’re trusted and ‘B’, that we’re able to do that,” Commodore Moorhouse told reporters.

It is the first time that a UK aircraft carrier is supporting live military operations in more than two decades, projecting British military power on a global scale.

Commodore Moorhouse said the carrier offers the UK flexibility in how to conduct military operations abroad and “keeps those that wish to cause us harm on their toes”.

He said the eastern Mediterranean has become more “congested and contested” over the last decade in light of the heavier

Russian military presence in Syria.

“We’re rubbing up against Russian activity, not in a dangerous or aggressive manner, but you’ve just got other people out here playing in what is a fixed piece of water and airspace,” said Commodore Moorhouse, adding that a Russian warship has come within 16 miles of the carrier.

He insists that Russian, British and US pilots have a “healthy respect for one another” and their conduct has been “absolutely professional” since the aircraft carrier started anti-is operations on June 18.

“But there is a reality when you buy yourself a fifth-generation aircraft carrier and you take it around the world, people are interested in it,” he added.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth and its support ships will remain in the eastern Mediterranean for two to three weeks before moving through the Suez Canal to deployment in India, South Korea and Japan.