F-35 stealth fighter jets to touch down in UK next month
They will be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk.
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Britain’s cutting-edge F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets are expected to touch down in the UK early next month, the Defence Secretary has announced.
Gavin Williamson confirmed the imminent arrival of the multimillion-pound supersonic warplanes during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the daring Dambusters raid.
![F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (PA Graphics)](http://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2018/05/16091943/68c790f7-a058-469c-bad7-f06f003c96a8.jpg)
More than seven decades later, the squadron was recently stood back up for the supersonic jets, which will be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk.
![Military – 24th Anniversary of the Dambusters Raid – Royal Air Force Station Scampton](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/3692f222659689a5bda3971a3715b805Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTI2NTM3NDkw/2.5888975.jpg?w=640)
“That same spirit of innovation continues today as the Dambusters of today prepare to fly the world’s most advanced fighter jet in the skies over the UK.
“Just like those Lancasters which played such a vital role in the Second World War, the F-35B Lightning is based on great British design, operating with futuristic technology to adapt to an increasingly dangerous world.”
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They are due to arrive two months ahead of schedule, which the Ministry of Defence said allows for extra training time for 617 Squadron before declaring initial operational service from land later this year.
The commanding officer of 617 Squadron, Wing Commander John Butcher, said: “I have the great privilege of leading a jointly manned squadron made up of the best engineers, mission support personnel and pilots from the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
“The original Dambuster squadron did not know what their mission was going to be until the last moment, yet they had to make sure they were ready, and that is as true for us today.
“The spectrum of missions we can undertake in the F-35 will be huge and we have to make sure we are ready to do whatever is asked of us.”
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“The spirit that they showed then is replicated in the spirits of today. From Lancasters to Lightning, that extraordinary spirit really does live on,” he said.
When asked what he thought the Dambusters 617 aircrew would have made of the jets, he said they would look at it with a degree of awe, as does he.
“I think what it manages to achieve is absolutely incredible. Within a fighter-sized aircraft you have got all the fuel, all the weapons that you need to penetrate deep into enemy territory at supersonic speeds.
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“In 1943 the Lancaster, with its bouncing bomb, was again a marvel of technological innovation. They would certainly see parallels, but I think there would be a degree of awe there as well.”
The UK is embarked on a £9.1 billion programme to buy 48 by 2025 of the F-35, the world’s most advanced fighter jet, from American aviation giant Lockheed Martin, but has pledged to purchase 138.
Britain currently has 15 of the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the jets in the United States being tested and used for training.
Later this year F-35 flight trials will take place off the £3.1 billion behemoth aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.