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UKAFM’s Alan Warnes F-35B Finally reports on the F-35’s historic deployment to the UK. Arrives in UK
The future of UK air power. The three F-35Bs were joined by a pair of 1(F) Sqn Typhoons over the Irish Sea while en route to RAF Fairford. All photos, Crown Copyright unless stated F-35Bs arrive June 29 WO YEARS after its nine-hour flight from their base at to 17. Both events included failed attempt to get MCAS Beaufort in South Carolina. impressive role-demonstrations. Serial Unit Callsign Tto the UK, the F-35B They stayed at the USAF facility ZM137/ UK/ ‘Tabor 01’ Lightning II finally made its throughout their proposed three- To Scotland (BK-3) VMFAT-501 long-awaited appearance in week stay, making appearances at The F-35Bs had two days’ 168726/ USMC/ ‘Tabor 03’ British skies during late June. the Royal International Air Tattoo maintenance after their long VM-18 VMFAT-501 Three F-35Bs arrived at RAF (RIAT), which ran from July 8 to 10, journeys, but July 1 saw a pair 168727/ USMC/ ‘Tabor 02’ Fairford, Gloucestershire, in failing and Farnborough International fly up to Rosyth, Scotland, VM-19 VMFAT-501 light and rain on June 29, after a Air Show (FIAS) from July 11 where they performed a formation flypast over the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, which will be launched next year, and HMS Prince of Wales. The head of the Fleet Air Arm, Rear Admiral Keith Blount OBE, said: “Today marks a significant milestone in the nation’s return to aircraft carrier aviation and carrier strike. “Both ships have been designed from the keel up to operate with the F-35B, and the RAF and Royal Navy are working ever closer to see fixed-wing aircraft The transatlantic crossing took ten hours – two of the F-35Bs once more operating from Royal are seen here over Iceland. Navy aircraft carriers. I feel very proud to be part of it.”
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Touch down! The fi rst UK F-35B to touch down on UK soil arrives at RAF Fairford during the evening of June 29. Lockheed Martin
The carriers will provide more than 4 acres (16,200m2) of GREENLAND sovereign territory that can be ICELAND deployed around the world, travelling in excess of 500nm Keflavík (925km) a day. Both are capable of carrying up to 36 F-35Bs. Narsarsuaq Then RAF Marham The pair, ZM137 and 168727/ CANADA ‘VM-19’, then headed down to Glasgow RAF Marham, Norfolk and linked UK up with a specially marked 617 Sqn Tornado GR4 for their Fairford Gander first appearance at the base. London It will be home to the F-35 Lightning Force, and will see Atlantic Ocean the first aircraft, operated by USA Halifax 617 Sqn, arrive in April 2018. New YYorkork Many of the base personnel Westfield Barnes F-35B’s Primary Diversion Airfields came out to the airfield to see PAX Point of departure – MCAS Beaufort, South the jet fly by, including Lightning River Carolina (USA), NAS Patuxent River, Maryland Force Commander Air Cdre (USA), Westfield Barnes Regional Airport, Massachusetts (USA), Halifax International Harvey Smyth and OC (Designate) NAS Beaufort 617 Sqn, Wg Cdr John Butcher. (Canada), Gander International (Canada), Lightning II 168727/‘VM-19’, Narsarsuaq (Greenland), Keflavik (Iceland), flown by Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols, Prestwick (Scotland), RAF Fairford (England). then made a touch-and-go
Above: The RAF’s Chief of the Air Staff , Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford was at RAF Fairford to greet Sqn Ldr Nichols. The CAS said seeing the F-35Bs arrive was one of the highlights of his four years in offi ce. Left: The three pilots who fl ew the jets: Lt Col Richard ‘BC’ Rusnok (USMC), Major Jack ‘Norm’ Cronan (USMC) and the RAF’s Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols. All previously fl ew the AV-8B/Harrier GR9. The two USMC pilots are part of VMX-1, the USMC’s F-35B operational evaluation unit at Edwards AFB, where they work with four F-35Bs. Lockheed Martin
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After flying over the carrier, the two F-35Bs were met by specially marked 617 Sqn ‘Dambusters’ Tornado GR4 ZG771, which accompanied them to RAF Marham. The unit will be the first British F-35B squadron to stand up.
before flying past with its F135 Left: On July 1, two F-35Bs flew over engines in the VTOL position. HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is being Air Vice-Marshal Gerry Mayhew, built at Rosyth in Scotland. The tarpaulin on the deck is covering up Air Officer Commanding 1 Group, thermal metallic spray which is being said: “It was a proud and exciting applied to the flight deck to ensure it moment to have the F-35B can cope with the extraordinary heat Lightning II fly overhead RAF from the F-35B as it launches and recovers. Marham for the first time today. Below: Air Cdre Harvey Smyth, the “Alongside Typhoon, the Lightning Force Commander and a Lightning II will offer the RAF and former Harrier GR pilot, was pleased Royal Navy a cutting-edge frontline to see the F-35B finally appear at RAF Marham. Alan Warnes strike capability and the most powerful and comprehensive integrated sensor package of any fighter aircraft in history. “I have no doubt [it] will act as an inspiration for the current and future members of both services.” F-35’s home base As the future home of the UK’s F-35B Lightning Force, Marham is currently going through a massive modernisation project to ensure it is ready for the Heritage Flypast first jets’ arrival in April 2018. Lightning Force Commander Air Cdre Harvey Smyth said: “As part of Project Anvil, we’re rebuilding 90% of the base – there’ll be new runways, taxiways and buildings. We’ve already announced £300m of investment here and two more contracts will be awarded by the end of the year.” “The main reason we’re building Key - Glenn Sands from scratch [is that] we’re THREE F-35As (serialled below) Heritage Team. This is the first year Heritage Flypast destroying the old infrastructure joined the F-35Bs on June 30 after the F-35A has flown with the team Serial Unit Callsign and not reconstituting from the flying from Luke AFB, Arizona via and its appearance at RIAT was the original structures because of the Langley AFB, Virginia – a journey eighth of 16 air displays scheduled 12-5042 USAF/56th ‘Tabor 31’ ‘LF’ FW highly classified nature of the F-35. that took about 12 hours. The jets for the 2016 show season. In “All the buildings have to have were primarily here to fly at RIAT the US, the Heritage Team also 12-5052 USAF/56th ‘Tabor 32’ ‘LF’ FW special security accreditation, and Farnborough – at the former, includes a P-38 Lightning and a which means you know exactly one of them flew alongside an P-51D Mustang but, these veteran 12-5058 USAF/56th ‘Tabor 33’ ‘LF’ FW what’s in [them] from the F-22A Raptor as part of the USAF’s fighters did not make the journey. foundations up. That way we
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can accredit [their] security vertical landing (STOVL) skills. plan covering the Tornado Naval Air Sqn (NAS), will be function and work to the The first UK F-35B unit, 617 Sqn squadron disbandments and established in April 2023 and highest of classification within. ‘The Dambusters’, is expected to which units will fly the new P-8 declare operational capability in “The real challenge is that, while move into Marham during spring/ and Protector UAV squadrons.” December 2023. To ensure the I turn this base into one of the early summer with four jets – with Serviceability issues with Lightning Force stays truly ‘joint’, largest building sites in Norfolk, the unit reaching a full strength of accompanying KC-10 tankers the first ‘Boss’ will be Navy, just as we’ll continue to fly Tornado. nine by the first week of August. meant the F-35Bs were delayed 617 Squadron will be Air Force. It’s playing an absolutely critical The Squadron’s OC (Designate), departing MCAS Beaufort. Asked “The first OC of the OCU will role fighting Daesh [over Iraq Wg Cdr John Butcher, who is also by AFM why the Voyager Force be Air Force, but they will all and Syria]. The big challenge is the current Lightning Force Chief wasn’t used, Smyth said: “We’ve rotate between the services.” to keep it as a functional fighter of Staff, told AFM: “I go out to done [air-to-air refuelling] tests on base as well as a building site.” MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina Voyager but we’re still churning RIAT The airfield will see 90% of its [where UK pilots are trained], in through all the data; once it’s been RIAT was the first public event operating surfaces refurbished August 2017 and the squadron analysed we can have a release at which the UK taxpayers got which will bring the secondary will stand up in January 2018. to service [with the F-35B]. the chance to see the F-35B for runway into use. Meanwhile, We’ll then finalise the plans in the “We did think of pushing it themselves. During the MOD a strip is being built to practise spring and bring them home.” through, but the US were keen briefing to journalists at RAF short landings while pilots The operational conversion for us to use their tankers. Fairford, Air Cdre Harvey Smyth prepare for shipborne operations unit (OCU) will stand up in the We’ll use Voyager to bring 617 spoke of the jets’ deployment or flying from austere sites. summer of 2019, although Sqn back in 2018. However, to the UK: “The main aim of Three new concrete vertical its number plate is currently we did use RAF C-130s and getting the three F-35Bs here landing pads in the middle unknown. Air Cdre Smyth C-17s for this deployment.” was not just about showcasing of the airfield will be for explained: “It will be announced He added “The second the jet at RIAT and Farnborough, practising short take-off and later this year as part of a bigger operational F-35B unit, 809 but about proving the already
Above: Wg Cdr John Butcher on the right is the OC (Designate) of 617 Sqn ‘Dambusters’, and Lt Cdr Adam Hogg on the left will be the unit’s Executive Offi cer (XO). The ‘Dambusters’ will be the fi rst UK unit to fl y the jet when it stands up at RAF Marham in January 2018. The squadron will bring the fi rst four over from the US in the spring/summer of 2018. Alan Warnes
Above: Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols lands F-35 BK-3 on the aluminium pad at RIAT. It was the fi rst time the British public had seen a vertical landing since the Harrier was retired in 2010. We can look forward to it being a regular sight from mid-2018. Alan Warnes Right: Flying over RAF Marham. There’s a lot of construction work going on at the base in preparation for the F-35B’s arrival in April 2018.
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The UK’s BK-3/ZM137 sits The Numbers on the edge of the static THE UK has a requirement display at RIAT on July 10. Alan Warnes for 138 F-35Bs, which will be based at RAF Marham, although they will not all be there at the same time. In October 2016, the SDSR announced the UK will have 23 aircraft by 2023. Five have been delivered from the production line direct to the UK detachments in the US – three (BK-1, BK-2 and BK-4) are based with 17(R) Sqn at Edwards AFB, California, for operational test and evaluation. The fourth, BK-3, is based at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, flying with the USMC’s VMFAT-501, which is currently training British pilots (Autonomic Logistics Information aircraft combining speed, agility from December 2020 after a gap and engineers. The fifth, BK-5, System) without any issues. We and incredible sensor/sensor of ten years, having seen the was handed over prior to the UK have put a vertical landing pad fusion with the survivability that HMS Ark Royal and Harrier Force visit in late June and should be in here [Marham], done STOVL low observability brings. It has prematurely retired in 2010. at MCAS Beaufort by mid-July. [short take-off and vertical landing] to be sustainable and affordable Commodore Jerry Kyd, the The next jet, BK-6, will be landings and flown it around around the world – which the first commanding officer of handed over seven weeks Scotland. Obviously the spin- partnership is achieving.” HMS Queen Elizabeth, said at later and the remainder off is [that] we can also watch Together with the Typhoon it the same briefing that the Navy delivered every eight weeks the F-35B in action. It flew over will combine the backbone of the has never been so integrated until the 17th arrives in the 4,000 miles during ten hours RAF’s future combat air capability into the joint and international third quarter of 2018. The of flying – that’s not something after the Tornado retires in community as it will be with the 18th will be handed over in you can do with an immature 2019. With the Royal Navy Queen new carrier. He said: “We have to the second quarter of 2019. aircraft. It shows what we can do Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales deliver a carrier strike capability Of the jets on order, LRIP 8 with the aircraft from a capability aircraft carriers, the UK will kick- in 48 months – it is pretty F-35Bs BK-5 to BK-8 will be and maturity perspective.” start the carrier’s strike capability close and a great challenge.” delivered in 2016, LRIP-9 (BK-9 Air Cdre Lincoln Taylor, OBE, to BK-14) in 2017 and LRIP- Assistant Chief of Staff Capability 10 (BK15-17) in 2018, with Carrier Strike Milestones Delivery (Combat Air), is the single aircraft in LRP 11 2016 Ship’s company of 600 personnel joined. responsible for delivering the (BK-18) arriving in 2019. March 2017 Ready for sea – sail out of Firth of Forth for initial sea trials F-35B capability to the RAF’s Chief Spring/ Contractor sea trials in-place expeditionary capability of the Air Staff. It will enable the summer 2017 of F-35. Within the last couple Lightning Force Commander, Air Spring 2017 First entry of HMS Queen Elizabeth into Portsmouth of months, we have been Cdre Smyth, to employ the jet Autumn 2017 HMS Queen Elizabeth in service planning with the USMC for this operationally when the aircraft Late 2018/2019 Rotary and fixed wing aviation trials Atlantic trail to an airfield they reaches initial operating clearance 2019 HMS Prince of Wales in service have never been to before. in 2018. He told the media at It has linked back to the whole RIAT: “The F-35 is our first fifth- 2020 Deliver strike capability in 2020 sustainment system through ALIS generation multi-role combat 2021 First operational deployment.
Above: The three wise men. Royal Navy Commodore Jerry Kyd CO of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first aircraft carrier to be specifically built for the F-35, stands alongside the RAF’s Air Cdre Linc Taylor and Air Cdre Harvey Smyth. Alan Warnes Right: An F-35B and two RAF Typhoons fly in formation with the Red Arrows. Alan Warnes
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