UK Welcomes Second F-35 Squadron, 809 NAS 'Inmortals

The arrival of the first F-35 Lightning II at RAF Marham, Norfolk, in 2018, marked a significant milestone as it was allocated to the historic Squadron 617 "Dambusters". The arrival of the first F-35 Lightning II at RAF Marham, Norfolk, in 2018, marked a significant milestone as it was allocated to the historic Squadron 617 "Dambusters". This squadron, renowned for its rich legacy, became the pioneering unit to be equipped with this cutting-edge fifth-generation aircraft. Now, further bolstering the United Kingdom's aerial prowess, a second squadron, the 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) known as the "Inmortals," has been activated to operate the F-35 Lightning II. The return of the Fleet Air Arm's 809 NAS comes after a hiatus spanning over 40 years, following its disbandment in late 1982.

Dating back to 1941, the 809 NAS saw its initial combat involvement operating the Fairey Fulmar in the Arctic. Its missions extended to engagements in Malta, North Africa, and various theaters of war until its decommissioning in 1982 while operating the Sea Harrier. The rebirth of this squadron was commemorated with a parade and display at RAF Marham.

Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, RAF Air and Space Commander, unveiled the strategic vision, aiming to have "two front-line squadrons of Lightnings at sea, totaling up to 24 aircraft" readily deployable by late 2025. This planning aligns with the slated readiness of the 809 NAS to deploy aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in 2025. 

UK clears F-35B for take-off from Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth

The UK Ministry of Defence has cleared the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet for take-off from the deck of the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The clearance follows successful completion of ski-ramp trials on-board the British flagship vessel.UK Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin said: “Successful ski-ramp trials mean the F-35 is cleared to fly from the carrier as the momentum continues for this game-changing jet.“This milestone comes as our pilots and planes prepare to return from the US, ready for next year’s unforgettable flight trials from the deck of the nation’s new flagship.”
Baldwin confirmed that the F-35 Integrated Test Force, which includes five pilots from the UK, has successfully completed the ski-ramp trials milestone.
The British Royal Navy currently possesses 12 F-35 aircraft in the US, which are being tested ahead of a series flight trials slated for next year. An additional two aircraft are also scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year.
The trials will be carried out from the navy’s 65,000t HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier.
Prime contractor Lockheed Martin has designed the F-35 fighter jet to allow it to combat and defeat the most advanced threat systems both in the air and on the ground, in addition to those expected to emerge in the future.
As a fifth-generation fighter, F-35 is equipped with advanced stealth capabilities, enhanced agility and manoeuvrability, sensor and information fusion, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment.
The aircraft also features the latest technology that provides greater survivability, situational awareness and effectiveness for pilots, along with improved readiness and reduced support costs.

naval-technology

U.S. Marine F-35Bs Will Operate From British Queen Elizabeth Carriers

The U.S. Marine Corps will deploy its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II strike fighters on combat sorties from Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, a senior U.K. Royal Navy officer has confirmed.
Responsible for delivering the two 65,000 ton ships, said that using Marine aircraft and pilots to bolster the U.K.’s nascent carrier strike capability would be a natural extension of coalition doctrine.
Each of the 284 m-long carriers, fitted with a ‘ski jump’ bow ramp instead of the catapults and arrester wires once planned, will accommodate up to 40 aircraft: short takeoff/vertical landing F-35B strike fighters, helicopters, or a blend of fixed-wing and rotary tailored to the mission in hand.
Britain took delivery of its first Lightning II aircraft in 2012 and currently has three; the fourth is due to roll off Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth production line in January 2016.
Britain’s F-35Bs are scheduled to arrive at Marham Air Base in eastern England in mid-2018, achieving initial operating capability by the end of that year. A deployable U.K. carrier strike capability should be ready by late 2020.
usni.org

F-35B begins 'ski-jump' trials for carrier operations

The F-35 has begun ground-based trials of the 'ski-jump' technique for launching the aircraft from the decks of aircraft carriers, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 23 June.
In the test, an F-35 of the STOVL variant, took off from NAS Patuxent River in Maryland using a ramp that shares the same dimensions as those fitted to the Royal Navy’s now-decommissioned Invincible-class carriers.
Wilson said the test on 19 June re-proved the concept developed by the UK to launch its Sea Harrier jets from the decks of its through-deck cruiser carriers in the late For the F-35B, the 'ski-jump' will be used to launch jets from the decks of the Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales carriers being built for the UK Royal Navy, and may be adopted by other customers such as Italy.
janes

Royal Navy May Ask US Marines to fly its F-35B on new HMS Queen Elizabeth Following Delays on Deliveries to UK

The Royal Navy may ask US squadrons to fly off its new aircraft carrier following delays to its new F35B fighters.
MoD insiders said the US Marine Corps would be offered the use of HMS Queen Elizabeth for flight operations.
The UK plans to have its first F35 squadron operational by 2018, but there may be further delays.
The plan is for one squadron of British F35s to be ready for service at sea by 2021. But even if it is achieved, it will create a gap of years where the Queen Elizabeth is ready but British squadrons are not.
In February, BBC's Newsnight was told that it would be placed "within days". But persistent doubts about the F35's enormously complex software, and an engine fire this summer caused successive delays to the decision.
When the British purchase was announced, last month, it was for just four of the planes. The MoD says that this order will allow trials to start from the Queen Elizabeth on time with "UK F35Bs, flown by UK pilots".
But the slowdown in the expected purchasing rate is bound to delay the aircraft's entry into squadron service.
Asking US jets to fly from the Queen Elizabeth would be a sensible way of bridging the gap between the carrier being completed, and a British squadron of jets being available.
However, the MoD said on Wednesday that it was "not aware" of any further delay to the timetable for the first operational squadron.
Even if the timetable is kept, senior naval officers are nervous that a gap in capability during 2018-2021.
With a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) expected to get under way in 2015, the huge ships, which have long been the subject of controversy in Whitehall, are likely to come under fresh scrutiny.
bbc.com

HMS Queen Elizabeth ‘will depend on French’

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier, Britain’s largest ever warship, was christened at Rosyth, Scotland in July.
The ship is due to be launched in 2017, although delays are expected.
But for three years while her sister carrier the Prince of Wales is being completed in Rosyth, there will be no dry dock large enough for Queen Elizabeth if she needs underwater repairs.
It is believed the Navy would use Toulon in southern France.
express

UK Will Operate 2 Aircraft Carriers

The UK Royal Navy is to get a second operational aircraft carrier, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Friday as the two-day NATO summit came to an end.
Britain is building two 65,000-ton aircraft carriers, but the Conservative-led coalition had previously said it would mothball or sell the second warship due to the cost of operating two carriers.
The British government said it would reconsider the issue as part of the 2015 strategic defense and security review following next year’s general election.
Now though the decision has been brought forward 12 months, with Cameron saying the Royal Navy will operate the second warship, the Prince of Wales, when it is commissioned in 2020.
“The second carrier will be brought into service. It’s means the Royal Navy will be able deploy a carrier 100 percent of the time,” Cameron said.
While the move would give Britain two operational aircraft carriers, there is a question about the number of F-35B short-takeoff-vertical-landing aircraft that would go on them. An order for the first 14 aircraft set to be operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force is still awaited.
A Defence Ministry spokeswoman declined to say when the deal would be completed but did confirm it was still the intention to receive the first operational aircraft in 2016.
The first of class, Queen Elizabeth, was launched on July 4 and is now being fitted out ahead of commissioning in 2017 and achieving the initial operating capability in 2020.
The decision to operate Prince of Wales is the second policy reverse by the government on the carrier program since it came to office in 2010.
As part of the 2010 strategic defense and security review, the government decided to ditch the F-35B variant and instead purchase the F-35C carrier version of the Lockheed Martin strike jet.
It later reverted to the F-35B once the heavy cost of remodeling the carriers to launch the conventional aircraft were prohibitive.
defensenews

New Carriers Commit UK To Buy Escorts & F-35Bs, Says 1st Sea Lord

65,000-ton ships are hard to turn around, and they can drag a lot else in their wake. That’s the $10.4 billion (£6.2 billion) bet the Royal Navy has placed on its controversial program to build two new aircraft carriers. While a third smaller than American nuclear carriers, the ships’ costs have grown so much that the British government is considering temporarily mothballing the second ship, HMS Prince of Wales, as soon as it’s complete, while the first ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was christened July 4th but won’t get its F-35B fighters for years.
But First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Adm. Sir George Zambellas, assured a Washington audience Wednesday that — to paraphrase his guarded Britishisms into American bluntness — it’s too late to cheap out. Building the carriers has already committed British politicians not only to funding their operations, escort vessels, and aircraft, but also to a carrier-centered naval strategy that puts warfighting first and peacetime presence second.
In brief, an aircraft carrier without aircraft isn’t much use, and a carrier without escorts won’t last long in combat.
breakingdefense

Inside HMS Queen Elizabeth

Royal Navy takes over Hawk T1 jets

Fast jets operating out of the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose in Cornwall have been returned to full military control.
The 14 Hawk T1 jets now make up 736 Naval Air Squadron and are flown by military and civilian pilots.
Until recently the aircraft were operated by private contractor SERCO which still provides three of the civilian pilots.
Their role includes acting as target aircraft to train ship crews.
Lt Cdr Tim Flatman, the squadron's commanding officer, says they will also help train pilots for the new Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, pretending to be enemy aircraft and missiles.
bbc.com

F-35B To Fly At Christening Of Royal Navys’ Newest Aircraft Carrier

With any official confirmation,the British will allow F-35B to make its first flight outside of the United States on July 4 when the country’s newest aircraft carrier is christened by Her Majesty the Queen.
Apparently eager not to disappoint Queen Elizabeth, should the plane not be able to fly in the Scottish weather, and desirous of keeping the media’s focus on the majestic carrier upon which she will be cracking a bottle of Champagne open, the powers that be have decided not to confirm or deny that the aircraft will be on hand.
A fly-by at the new carrier’s christening could boost the plane’s fortunes and he pushed hard for it. The Royal Navy balanced the goodness of hosting a fly-by of the plane that will help make their new carrier such a potent weapon, against the possibility the flight would overshadow the carrier.
BAE Systems, prime contractor on the carrier and one of the most important subcontractors on the F-35 program pushed hard for the plane to fly and the company boasts significant political heft because of the large number of jobs resulting from from work on the carrier and the F-35.
Flight trials of the F-35B from the Queen Elizabeth are due to start in 2018. After the christening, the F-35B is also scheduled to fly at the Royal International Air Tattoo and then at the Farnborough Air Show.
breakingdefense

Royal Navy recommissions training squadron

Britain's Royal Navy has quietly recommissioned a fighter squadron to train the next generation of aviators who will eventually fly from the decks of its new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.
736 Naval Air Squadron has been back in business for almost a year. It was formed from a civilian-run operation used to help train navy ships how to defend themselves from air attacks and flies Hawk T1 aircraft.
The history of the unit dates froem 1943 when it was established as an air combat training squadron for pilots of the Fleet Air Arm. It has operated classic navy jets including the Sea Vampire, Sea Hawk, Scimitar and Buccaneer.
Naval jet flying in Britain ceased with the 2010 Ministry of Defence decision to retire the Harrier.
dailymail

UK Carrier Preps for Launch in July

Britain’s naval shipbuilding industry is counting down to the launch of new aircraft carrier for the Royal Navy named, Queen Elizabeth.
The warship will be floated for the first time on July 4 in the Babcock-operated dock .
With three F-35 fighter jets due in Britain for the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough air show later in July, there has even been speculation the aircraft could put in an appearance July 4.
A BAE Systems spokeswoman played down that suggestion during a visit by reporters here on April 29, saying the only F-35 likely to be seen would be a full-size mock-up on the deck of the new carrier.
The two 65,000-ton aircraft carriers are the largest warships ever built in U.K.
The first module for the Prince of Wales, the second ship, has already been delivered, and more of the huge blocks will start arriving within days of the first carrier exiting the dock.
The current plan is for the Prince of Wales to be structurally complete by July 2016, sea trials to begin in January 2019 and acceptance in August that year.
The Royal Navy expects the ship to be fully operational with a complement of short takeoff, vertical-landing F-35B joint strike fighters, and Merlin anti-submarine warfare and Crows Nest airborne command-and-control helicopters in 2020.
The British government has already acquired a handful of F-35s for operational evaluation and training for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force crews who will fly and maintain the aircraft.
An order for the first batch of about 14 production aircraft is scheduled for this year.
Aviation trials are set to start with the Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopter in 2017, followed in 2018 by the F-35B.
Other helicopter types such as the Chinook, Wildcat and Apache will be approved at some stage, as the military has an eye on using the carriers for joint air and littoral maneuver operations.
Rafferty said the plan is for the Queen Elizabeth to start F-35B trials with British aircraft stationed in the US.
defensenews

The F35 Lightning II jet will fly in Britain for the first time at 2 airshows this summer

The F-35 Lightning II will make its international debut in July at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford and in the same month will also fly at the Farnborough International Air Show.
This will be the first time the combat aircraft has flown outside of the United States. Approximately 15% of every aircraft is built in the UK.
UK's MOD has 3 aircraft which are all currently based in the US undertaking training with Royal Navy and Royal Air Force pilots. Orders for further aircraft will be placed over the next few years.
The UK’s first operational Lightning II squadron, 617 Squadron, is scheduled to transition to RAF Marham in Norfolk from the US in 2018 ahead of flight trials of the Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier later that year.
gov.uk

HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier to Take to the Water in July

Britain’s biggest-ever warship HMS Queen Elizabeth will be floated for the first time in July, with work on assembling a second aircraft carrier due to commence at BAE Systems shipyard in Rosyth, Scotland, in September.
HMS Queen Elizabeth,, will move to “flood up” within weeks of a naming ceremony on July 4.
A second ship, HMS Prince of Wales, is following 20 months behind the first, with both vessels designed to be put together at the yard near Edinburgh from sub-assemblies built at five other sites, some weighing as much as smaller Royal Navy ships.
Once floated, the Queen Elizabeth will be towed from her dock and across a basin where the ship will tie up alongside the harbor for the completion of fitting out, making way for the assembly of the second carrier. Outfitting is due to be completed in 2015, with sea trials commencing a year later.
F-35B Joint Strike Fighter jump-jets should be flying from the plane by 2018.
bloomberg

HMS Queen Elizabeth II carrier to be launched in July

Queen Elizabeth will launch the Royal Navy's super-carrier named for her in Scotland in the summer. The 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth is scheduled for launch at the Rosyth dockyard in Fife in July.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is being built by a consortium of BAE Systems Surface Ships, Thales Group and Babcock Marine.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is to be commissioned in early 2017, with full operational capability from 2020.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is not fitted with steam catapults and arresting wires, so the vessel will be restricted to operating vertical takeoff and landing (V/STOL).
HMS Queen Elizabeth's air wing will consist of F-35B Lightning II fighter-bombers and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare.
upi.com

UK to approve bulk F-35B buy in 2017

Financial approval for the UK's main procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning is expected in the next three years. The financial approval for this main buy, should be granted in 2017.
Procurement of the first 14 operational aircraft is set to be approved in the coming days.
To date, the UK has received two operational test and evaluation aircraft, and one training aircraft. Another aircraftis expected to be signed for in the coming months. Once all have been delivered, they will be transfered from Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida to Edwards AFB in California later in 2014, where they will stand up as 17 (Fighter) Squadron.
The 14 aircraft to be procured under Main Gate 4 will be delivered in 2016 and handed over to 617 'Dambusters' Squadron when it is reactivated at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, South Carolina..
In April 2018, 617 Sqn will transfer its aircraft and personnel back to RAF Marham in Norfolk, UK, and in December 2018 the UK will declare initial operating capability - land (IOC - Land) for its F-35B force. A yet-to-be-designated operational conversion unit is expected to be stood up at RAF Marham in 2019.
The second F-35B unit for the UK has been named as 809 'Immortals' Naval Air Squadron (NAS). Despite their separate Royal Air Force and Royal Navy identities, both 617 Sqn and 809 NAS will be operated as combined units.
In 2018, operations from the first of the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers will commence, with a full operating capability (land and maritime) for the F-35B set to be declared in 2023. A decision on whether both carriers will be fielded will be announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review [SDSR] in 2015. While the programme of record remains at 138 aircraft, no firm numbers will be announced until the SDSR in 2015.
janes

BAE Systems Renegotiating U.K. Aircraft Carrier Contract Terms

BAE Systems said it is renegotiating contract terms with the U.K. over a 5.3 billion pound ($8.4 billion) effort to building two aircraft carriers, whose costs have already risen more than 50 percent since 2005.
The first of two carriers is nearing completion.
The company said it’s also in talks with the U.K. government over how to bring shipbuilding capacity in line with demand. The U.K. is not buying enough vessels to sustain three surface shipyards once work on the carriers winds down.
BAE said trading was in-line with expectations and that the full-year earnings target will be met assuming successful conclusion of talks with Saudi Arabia over the pricing of Typhoon combat jets.
bloomberg

Royal Navy resurrects 809 Squadron as first F-35B unit

Britain is resurrecting the Royal Navy's 809 Naval Air Squadron to fly the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. The unit is expected to operate the fifth-generation stealth fighter from the UK's new Queen Elizabeth-class carrier starting in 2018 according to Lockheed.
The F-35B squadron will be jointly operated by personnel from the navy's Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force.
flightglobal

Pride of the Royal Navy fleet, hacked apart in a Turkish scrapyard: HMS Ark Royal cuts a sorry sight as it's reduced to tin cans and razor blades

She once ruled the waves. Now the 22,000-ton HMS Ark Royal is being ripped apart in a Turkish scrapyard, another victim of British defence cuts.
After a quarter of a century of service, Ark Royal – the fifth vessel to bear a name that dates back to victory over the Spanish Armada – will shortly be reduced to tin cans and razor blades.
This picture shows workers from Leyal Ship Recycling – which paid £2.9 million for the aircraft carrier – stripping out valuable scrap items before larger sections are torn away.
The seven-month dismantling process has already laid bare the crew’s former living quarters.
Above them is Ark Royal’s hangar, once home to 22 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters – Harriers, Merlins and Sea Kings – but now merely an empty reminder of operations past.
At the top are the ship’s flying deck and the exhaust of her gas turbine.
Former First Sea Lord Admiral Alan West said: ‘It is so sad to see Ark Royal in this sorry state and a tragedy that she was prematurely withdrawn from service.’
When she was towed from Portsmouth in May, former crew lined the quay in black armbands.
The Navy has ordered two new aircraft carriers at a total cost of more than £6 billion. The first is due to enter service in 2020.
dailymail