US announces first F-35 in Europe to be based in the UK

The US Department of Defense has announced that RAF Lakenheath will become home to the first 2 US F-35 squadrons in Europe with the first aircraft due to arrive in 2020.
The basing of US F-35s at RAF Lakenheath confirms the American military presence in the UK for the foreseeable future. It also means that for the first time in decades the US Air Force and the RAF will have operated the same type of aircraft from the UK.
The US has also decided to end its presence at nearby RAF Mildenhall. The precise timing for their final withdrawal has still to be determined, but it is expected to correspond with the period in which the US plan to increase their presence at the adjacent RAF Lakenheath.
The basing of the US Air Force F-35 squadrons in such proximity to the RAF’s F-35 Lightning II jets – to be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk – will allow for the 2 forces to work even more closely together.
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