Britain’s top-of-the-range stealth fighter jets have left the US and should touch down on UK soil later today – nearly 24 hours after their scheduled arrival was delayed due to bad weather.
The supersonic Squadron F-35B Lightning jets have been in America since their manufacture, where they have been tested and used for training by Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots.
Four of the jets, which were based at a military base in South Carolina, are currently crossing the Atlantic in a journey which is expected to take between eight and nine hours. They are set to touch down at RAF Marham around 7.45pm tonight.
The four F-35B Lightning planes making their way across the Atlantic to their new home at RAF Marham
The first 617 F-35B, Lightning II planes are make their way across the Atlantic ocean to their new home at RAF Marham
Five jets took off from Beaufort yesterday after the four heading from the UK had successfully taken on fuel from the RAF tanker escorting the aircraft, something which had been pre-planned prior to take-off.
A further five jets will join up with the other jets at RAF Marham by the end of July and the beginning of August. The recently reformed 617 ‘Dambuster’ squadron is set to declare initial operational capability from land by the end of the year.
The ‘jump jets’, aptly named as they have vertical landing capability, will use the runway instead of dropping down straight into RAF Marham.
The RAF’s Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier tweeted today: ‘In the RAF’s centenary year, it’s great to see the most advanced and dynamic fighter jet in our history arrive later today at RAF Marham – and with the modern Dambusters in the cockpit, this homecoming truly feels like an historic moment in British airpower.’
The multi-million pound jets were set to touch-down in Britain yesterday but the Ministry of Defence claimed adverse weather conditions over the Atlantic forced them to postpone the flight.
The RAF stealth jets refuelling off the coast of Canada this afternoon ahead of their journey to Britain
An RAF spokesman said peacetime rules flight safety is always put first, and with sea states and diversion airfields unsuitable the ‘routine decision’ was taken to postpone.
Wing Commander John Butcher, the officer commander of the 617 squadron, revealed the plan is for him to land first, as he and another three pilots maje the 3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
The 37-year-old said the moment will be ‘absolutely fantastic’ and that he is looking forward to the journey.
Wg Cdr Butcher said the entire crew was excited at the prospect of the arriving jets, with ‘meticulous planning’ involved before their departure.
Hoping for ‘clear skies and fair winds’ for the flight, he said they will be in the air for more than eight hours with 12 to 15 refuelling contacts per jet expected during the crossing.
Britain currently has 15 F-35Bs – the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the jets – based in the US, and has pledged to purchase 138 in total from American aviation giant Lockheed Martin.
Despite optimism surrounding the arrival of the jets, their production and delivery into Britain has been hit by a host of problems.
Initial estimates put the cost of the planes between £77million to 100million, although The Times claims they are expected to cost a staggering £150million each.
It is believed the true cost of the plane has been bumped up to cover ‘extra’ costs such as software upgrades and spare parts.
It found that the ‘stealth’ F-35 are unable to transmit data to British ships and older jet without revealing its position.
The plane’s software system is vulnerable to cyber attack and cannot be tested independently by the UK.
Photo issued by the U.S. Marine Corps of an F-35 Lightning stealth fighter leaving US Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort
The RAF F-35 Lightning stealth fighter taking off from the US Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort earlier today
The sign outside RAF Marham in Norfolk is changed ahead of the arrival of four new F-35 jets