The arrival of the first F-35Bs for No 617 Squadron ‘Dambusters’ in June was the first step in the plan to establish an impressive new expeditionary air power capability for the UK.
SPECIAL REPORT
F-35 IN THE UK
WHEN WG CDR John ‘Butch’ Butcher touched down at RAF Marham on June 6 in the first of four F-35Bs for No 617 Squadron ‘Dambusters’, it kick-started a long and carefully planned process to establish a new British carrier air power capability. It’s a capability that doesn’t come cheap, so every effort is being made to ensure that the full range of potential is realized and exploited.
Chief of the Air Staff ACM Sir Stephen Hillier said, ‘In the RAF’s centenary year, it’s great to see the most advanced and dynamic fighter jet in our history arrive today at RAF Marham — and with the modern ‘Dambusters’ in the cockpit, this homecoming truly feels like an historic moment in British air power.’
The UK, as the only non-US Tier 1 partner in the F-35 program, has nurtured strong participation from both the industry and operational standpoint. The UK briefly dabbled with the F-35C carrier variant when the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B was in trouble and on probation in 2011. However, as …
