UK carrier strike
The UK Lightning Force has embarked on what is arguably its most important mission to date, taking a meaningful complement of F-35Bs to the HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08). Jamie Hunter evaluates this major step towards establishing the new UK carrier strike force.
Three F-35Bs departed RAF Marham, Norfolk on October 9 bound for Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, as the UK Lightning Force took the next steps towards re-establishing a British carrier strike capability. Seeing them off, RAF Marham Station Commander Gp Capt Jim Beck told AFM: “Today we’ve sent three aircraft from Nos 617 and 207 Squadrons, which will complement three aircraft from No 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron [TES] based at Edwards AFB [California], that will augment a package that’s going to embark HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of the operational test phase of the ship’s development.” He added: “This has always been the programme of record where we are going to start the process of linking the F-35 with the ship, [but] not in a developmental test phase. This is all about operational warfighting ability, ready to declare IOC [Initial Operating …
