Following the exercise, the captain of Ark Royal remarked: "Today was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate some of the capabilities that the UK Carrier Strike Group has, particularly the GR9 Harrier and Merlin ASW helicopters operating from HMS Ark Royal". Navy off the east coast of the United States during Exercise Auriga in 2010. In one of its final deployments, it demonstrated its capabilities alongside the U.S. It centred around either of two Invincible-class aircraft carriers, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal. The earliest iteration of the UK Carrier Strike Group originally formed in 2006 with Commodore Alan Richards in command. HMS Ark Royal and the UK Carrier Strike Group during Exercise Joint Warrior (Oct 2008) By 2030, the Royal Navy aims to replace some of these helicopter platforms with medium-sized fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles, currently known as Vixens, capable of undertaking strike, air-to-air refueling, electronic warfare and airborne early warning missions. Alternatively, for a Littoral Manoeuvre package, it may consist of a mixture of Chinook and Merlin Mk3i/4 transport helicopters and Apache AH1 and Wildcat AH1 attack helicopters. For a Maritime Force Protection tasking, the CVW may consist of nine Merlin HM2 anti-submarine warfare helicopters and five Merlin HM2 Crowsnest for airborne early warning (AEW). This is in addition to around 14 helicopters of varying types. Its Carrier Air Wing (CVW) will consist of up to 24 F-35B Lightning II multirole fighters by 2023. The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are designed to carry around 40 aircraft but can carry up to 72 at maximum capacity. Overseas, the UK has established a number of naval facilities to support the UKCSG, including the naval base HMS Jufair and the UK Joint Logistics Support Base, which are located in Bahrain and Oman, respectively. Additionally, escorts and support ships may be provided by allies. Currently, Fort Victoria is the only ship capable of resupplying the aircraft carriers with dry stores, however a programme to replace her with three new solid support ships is currently underway. For replenishment-at-sea, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary provides its Tide-class fleet tankers, which were specifically designed to refuel the aircraft carriers, in addition to RFA Fort Victoria for dry stores. In the future, escort duties will also be provided by the Royal Navy's new Type 26 frigate. A typical CSG consists of a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, two surface escorts (with one being a Type 23 frigate for anti-submarine warfare and the other being a Type 45 destroyer for anti-air warfare), a submarine and a fleet tanker. The size and composition of the UKCSG varies depending on operational requirements which are decided upon during operational planning. Both of these groups can surge and form a combined unit if required. Initially, only one carrier strike group was to be maintained, however, under current strategic planning, two carrier strike groups will now be maintained with one held at very high readiness and the other at lower readiness. The unit is centred around either of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, which are designed to carry up to 40 aircraft each, with accompanying surface ships and submarines providing protection from air, surface and undersea threats. As a self-contained force, it is capable of operating independently or as part of a wider operation. As a unit within the Royal Navy, the UK Carrier Strike Group's role is to facilitate carrier-enabled power projection (CEPP) in support of the UK's interests.
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