THE LIGHTNING S HAVE LANDED
Bristling with technology, RAF’s £100m cutting edge jets roar in from the US
‘Historic moment in British airpower’
THE world’s most advanced stealth fighter aircraft last night touched down at their new base in Britain.
Four of the F-35 Lightning supersonic jets made the 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic from the US Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Their hugely-anticipated arrival at 8pm – watched by crowds at RAF Marham in Norfolk – came after chiefs cancelled their departure on Tuesday because of bad weather.
The journey took eight-and-a-half hours – including a break to refuel in mid-air.
Air chief marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, head of the RAF, said last night: ‘In the RAF’s centenary year, it’s great to see the most advanced and dynamic fighter jet in our history arrive.
‘With the modern Dambusters in the cockpit, this homecoming truly feels like an historic moment in British airpower.’
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘These formidable fighters are a national statement of our intent to protect ourselves and our allies from intensifying threats across the world … with a game-changing ability to collect crucial intelligence, fight wars and tackle terrorism, these are the most advanced jets in British history.
‘Today’s momentous arrival of these incredible jets shows we are upholding our proud tradition of innovation while keeping Britain safe from the gravest of dangers.’
The £100million jets will fly off the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth from 2020 alongside US jets manned by both British and American pilots.
The jets – which have a top speed of 1.6 Mach or over 1,200mph – are expected to form the backbone of Allied airpower for the next 50 years.
Carrying an array of laser-guided missiles and bombs, the aircraft have a range of 1,300 miles.
The Lockheed Martin jets, developed in America, use radar-absorbent coatings, as well as flat surfaces, sharp edges and fibre mats, to deflect radar. This will allow them to strike the enemy before they know the aircraft is nearby.
One of the five jets launched on Wednesday returned to Beaufort after the four destined for the UK had taken on fuel from the RAF tanker escorting the aircraft. Another five jets will join the aircraft at RAF Marham this summer. The recently reformed 617 Squadron, immortalised by the Dambusters, are set to declare initial operational capability from land by the end of the year.
The arrival of the aircraft had been expected to take place on Tuesday but this was cancelled because of safety fears due to ‘adverse weather conditions’.
Last night the commander of the airbase where they will be stationed defended the delay in their arrival. RAF Marham station commander, group captain Ian ‘ Cab’ Townsend, said: ‘As station commander my primary responsibility is the safety of the pilots.’
Air commodore David Bradshaw, lightning force commander, said the decision to delay the arrival was not taken lightly.
He said: ‘The plan had been to arrive yesterday, let’s be frank. However, flying any type of aircraft, but particularly military fast jets, inherently has a degree of risk in it. So when we looked at the conditions yesterday there were simply weather conditions that were out of limits.
‘In the right circumstances, in a war-type environment, we might take that risk but there was no reason to yesterday so we elected to roll 24 hours and here we are today waiting for the jets to arrive.’
He said it was an ‘extraordinary moment’, adding: ‘It has been an incredibly long journey to get to this point with a huge amount of effort from the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, from industry and from the civil service.’
Peter Ruddock, Lockheed Martin’s UK chief, said 15 per cent of every F-35 jet is built by British companies. He added: ‘Everybody here in the UK can celebrate this and it is a fantastic day.’
Britain has committed to spend £9.1billion on 48 of the jets by 2025. Ministers have pledged to buy 138, to be jointly operated by Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots.