First F-35B for Italian Navy

The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier sailed from Portsmouth for the first rotary-wing at-sea trials on 2 February, with a Royal Navy Merlin HM2 helicopter from 820 Naval Air Squadron embarked. This had earlier been employed at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, Cormwall and has been training with HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth Naval Base as part of the carrier’s rotary-wing trials. The Merlin was used to put flight deck crews through a series of aviation drills and procedures as part of the trials.

The first F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) jet was delivered to the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) during a ceremony at the Cameri production facility on 25 January, the first Italian-built F-35B variant having been rolled out at the factory

Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) retired its last operational US-1A amphibious search and rescue aircraft on 13 December 2017. The search and rescue mission will now be conducted by the US-2-equipped Hokutai 71 (Air Rescue Squadron 71) based at Atsugi Air Base. Since the US-1A entered service with the JMSDF in 1976, the type has rescued 827 people. Manufactured for the JMSDF by Japanese aircraft manufacturer ShinMaywa, the PS-1 and US-1A are designed for anti-submarine warfare and air-sea search and rescue missions.