UK Royal Navy and Royal Air Force F-35 crews complete month-long Iceland mission.

UK's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force aviators this week complete a month-long mission safeguarding Icelandic skies alongside RAF comrades.

For the past four weeks F-35B Lightnings have been deployed to the land of ice and fire – the first time they’ve been deployed on the key NATO mission.

The stealth fighters of 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron can normally be found either at RAF Marham – or on the deck of HM Ships Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales.

They swapped East Anglia for Naval Air Station Keflavik – next to Iceland’s principal airport, two dozen miles from the capital Reykjavik – for Operation Masterer.

For more than 15 years, NATO aircraft have patrolled Icelandic skies, responding to a request from the host nation which has no air force of its own to perform the mission.

Four F-35Bs have carried out the operation – the first time the UK’s only fifth-generation fighters have been used for Quick Reaction Alert duties.

QRA is the RAF’s response to hostile/unknown/rogue aircraft approaching the UK’s airspace – the modern-day equivalent of ringing the bell in the Battle of Britain and shouting ‘Scramble’.

This is the first time the Lightning Force has been called on to perform ‘Q shouts’ as the scrambles are known in RAF parlance – the mission has typically been carried out by Typhoons.

As a result, says junior engineering officer (‘’JENGO’ or Deputy Air Engineering Officer in his native Jackspeak) Lieutenant Sankey, the squadron has had to revise the way it works to have an F-35B immediately ready for take-off – known as ‘cocked on’.

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RAF to police NATO's skies in Iceland following successful mission in Romania

RAF F-35B jets from RAF Marham have deployed to Iceland to take part in a NATO air policing mission. This is the first time that British F-35s will have conducted a NATO air policing mission.

This follows the recent completion of a similar four-month mission by Typhoon aircraft in Romania. The F-35Bs from 617 Squadron will defend NATO airspace in the Arctic Region.

NATO air policing is a permanent peacetime mission, that preserves the security of Allied skies. It is a collective task and involves the continuous presence of fighter aircraft and crews, which are ready to react quickly to possible airspace violations.

This latest mission comes as the Prime Minister underlined the UK’s cast iron commitment to NATO at its Summit in Washington last month, as he emphasised his determination to safeguard the future of the Alliance and face down global threats to Britain and its western allies.  

Following a successful mission in Romania, where six Typhoon fighter jets and over two hundred personnel were stationed at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, defending NATO’s eastern border, the RAF now moves to Iceland.

This time, the cutting edge F-35 jets from 617 Squadron will be patrolling Icelandic airspace, having travelled from RAF Marham. This is the first time British jets have taken part in such activity in Iceland since 2019, when four Typhoon jets flew 59 training sorties and more than 180 practice intercepts.

Greece becomes newest member of the F-35 Lightning II global alliance

The increasing European presence of the 

F-35 bolsters interoperability

Greece government finalized its intention to procure 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft by signing a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) through a U.S. government Foreign Military Sale. The LOA also includes an option for 20 additional aircraft.

"We are excited to welcome Greece into the F-35 enterprise," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, director and program executive officer, F-35 Joint Program Office. "The F-35 will provide exceptional capability to the Hellenic Air Force, build interoperability between our allies and strengthen the combat effectiveness for all of NATO."

"For several decades, the Hellenic Air Force has been our partner, and it is our honor to continue that relationship as Greece becomes the 19th nation to join the F-35 program," said Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. "The F-35 is the only fighter suitable to strengthen Greece's sovereignty and operational capability with allies."

The F-35 is rapidly becoming the NATO standard fighter of choice, offering unparalleled interoperability with NATO and other allied assets. This capability stands as a significant advantage for the U.S. and its allies, ensuring strategic superiority for decades. By the 2030s, more than 600 F-35s will work together from more than 10 European countries, including two full U.S. F-35 squadrons stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath.

F-35 milestone as 809 Naval Air Squadron completes first independent sortie

The phoenix has risen.

For the first time an F-35B Lightning stealth fighter belonging to 809 Naval Air Squadron, flown by an 809 pilot, maintained, dispatched and recovered solely by 809 personnel, has conducted an operational sortie.

The squadron stood-up after a four-decade-long absence at the end of last year, joining the RAF’s legendary 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron as one of two front-line formations delivering fifth-generation fighter punch via the nation’s most advanced aircraft… and the sword of the UK’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

When not embarked on the flattops, the two stealth fighter squadrons – both comprising RN and RAF pilots and personnel, making them interchangeable when 809 is fully operational – call RAF Marham near King’s Lynn their home. 

Since re-forming in December, 809 has been growing in number, its men and women working hard alongside 617 Squadron to expand the number of personnel and complete training to allow them to operate independently.

U.S. approve full speed production of F-35 fighters.

The Pentagon has finally approved the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for full-rate production, five years later than originally anticipated reports Breaking Defense. 

The U.S. Defense Department acquisition chief Bill LaPlante signed off on the “milestone C” decision earlier this week, a crucial moment signifying the department’s confidence in the performance of the aircraft and maturity of Lockheed Martin’s production system — though the plane has already been in service in the US and with friendly foreign nations for years and has suffered a vast number of mechanical and practical issues that have resulted in an aircraft that is 80% fit for use, according to some RAF personnel working on the aircraft.   

“This is a major achievement for the F-35 Program,” LaPlante said, according to a Pentagon news release. “This decision — backed by my colleagues in the Department — highlights to the Services, F-35 Cooperative Program Partners, and Foreign Military Sales customers that the F-35 is stable and agile, and that all statutory and regulatory requirements have been appropriately addressed.”

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RAF F-35 Lightning aircraft take off for inaugural overseas exercise

Photo MoD/Crown copyright

The Royal Air Force’s newest fighter left its home base for Cyprus today to take part in its first overseas training exercise following introduction. This follows the announcement of their deployment to RAF Akrotiri in April 2019.

Several F-35B Lightning aircraft from 617 Squadron, “The Dambusters,” flew from their base at RAF Marham in Norfolk to spend six weeks at RAF Akrotiri as part of Exercise Lightning Dawn.

RAF Marham Station Commander, Group Captain Townsend said: "It’s just over 76 years since 617 Squadron formed to conduct ground-breaking operations, they are once again called upon to take a capability forwards for the first time. The exercise in Akrotiri will prove our ability to operate F-35 away from RAF Marham and allow us to learn the lessons of operating the air system whilst on deployment.

Today’s departure reflects a tremendously collegiate effort from the RAF, Royal Navy and industrial partners who are now focused on ensuring the deployment is as successful as the preparation phase."

Owned and operated by the RAF, the Lightning Force is jointly manned by both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. This training exercise will allow personnel from both services to gain vital experience in maintaining and flying the aircraft in an unfamiliar environment.

The exercise will also examine all aspects of moving this aircraft to a new location, including logistics, maintenance, and sustainment of all the equipment and crew that comes with this impressive aircraft, whilst also enhancing its preparedness for its first operational carrier deployment.

UK’s RAF to deploy its most advanced jets overseas for the first time

Photo MoD

Britain’s new cutting-edge F-35B aircraft will depart their home station of RAF Marham in Norfolk later this year for Cyprus in their first overseas deployment.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "These formidable fighters are a national statement of our intent to protect ourselves and our allies from intensifying threats across the world. This deployment marks an important milestone in this game-changing aircraft’s journey to becoming fully operational."

Owned and operated by the RAF, the Lightning Force is jointly manned by both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. This deployment will allow personnel from both services to gain vital experience in maintaining and flying the aircraft in an unfamiliar environment.