Illustrative image. (Royal Navy picture.)
British military planners are worried that HMS Prince of Wales, one of just two aircraft carriers in service with the Royal Navy, “could be attacked by Houthi rebels” while travelling with a strike group to the Indo-Pacific region for planned exercises and diplomatic visits, The Times reported on March 14.
HMS Prince of Wales will sail through the Suez Canal and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen.
The carrier will be joined by a Type 45 destroyer, a Norwegian frigate and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships – with F-35B fighter jets and allied aircraft being housed on the flight deck.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have been attacking vessels affiliated with Israel or linked to the United States and the United Kingdom close to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait for over a year in response to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The group halted all attacks after a temporary ceasefire was reached in Gaza last January, but resumed them earlier this week.
The Royal Navy has been taking part in the U.S.-led operations against the Houthis, with Type 45 destroyers HMS Diamond and HMS Richmond both seeing deployment near Yemen over the past years. The Iran-backed group engaged the warships on multiple occasions.
Some British defense officials question the viability of large carriers like HMS Prince of Wales in modern warfare, according to the Times.
“The carriers are becoming obsolete. There is no way we would build them now, but we’re stuck with them,” a senior official admitted to the publication.
Besides the F-35B fighter jets it carries, HMS Prince of Wales is equipped with three Phalanx CIWS close-in weapon systems to defend against incoming threats such as drones, missiles, and small boats. The Houthis used such weapons in their recent attacks.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) responded and said that it was fully prepared to defend itself and Nato allies. They added that the UK would continue to defend its interests and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
In response to The Times’ reporting, a spokesman said: “Carrier strike group 25 will provide reassurance and security with allies and partners, deterring those who seek to undermine global security — making us secure at home and strong abroad. The deployment will include advanced air and missile defence protection for the carrier, ensuring that it can counter any threats.”
The Houthis have already launched several attacks against U.S. aircraft carriers. While these attacks were not practically successful, they did demonstrate that the group has the will and the ability to target any vessel passing near Yemen’s waters.
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