Britain declares it's F-35B fighters are ready for combat

Britain's defense minister declared its new fleet of nine F-35B Lightning fighter planes combat-ready.

"The incredible F-35 jets are ready for operations, a transformed Typhoon [a fighter plane about to go out of service] has the power to dominate the skies into the 2040s, and we continue to look even further into an ambitious future," Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said on Thursday as he visited the Royal Air Force base in Marnham, England.

He added that the short-take-off, vertical-landing versions of the Lockheed-Martin-built F-35 are ready for overseas deployment.

Seventeen more will be built for the British military in the $700 million contract, and the government is committed to purchasing 138 more in the next 30 years.

The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy will share flying duties.

The planes unveiled on Thursday will be sent to the RAF base in Akotiri, Cyprus, Sky News reported, and could be used in strike missions against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria this year.

Flight trials of the F-35B had been underway since last year, with tests aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain's newest aircraft carrier.

"I am proud to confirm that the RAF's Combat Air capability has taken yet another significant step towards the realization of our Next Generation Air Force," said Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier. "With its cutting-edge stealth technology, our F-35s are now ready to deploy on operations and, alongside our combat-proven Typhoon, offer a step-change in our ability to employ air power around the world."

The F-35s are set to work with the Britain's fleet of Typhoon aircraft, which Williamson said have been fitted with a new weapons suite said to "vastly increase its capability." Included among the new weapons are the deep strike cruise missile Storm Shadow, air-to-air missile Meteor and the precision attack missile Brimstone.

Williamson also showed off the Tempest, a concept model for a future U.K. fighter which the Ministry of Defense hopes to make a decision on by 2025 and have operational by 2035.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Air Force accepts first KC-46A Pegasus tanker
Washington (UPI) Jan 10, 2019
The U.S. Air Force accepted its first KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft from Boeing, the Chicago-based company said Thursday. The military branch's acceptance signals the beginning of the delivery process for Boeing, which is under contract to provide 52 of an anticipated 179 KC-46A tankers to the Air Force, the company said in a news release. Six KC-46 aircraft have already undergone more than 3,800 hours of flight testing and provided more than 4 million pounds of fuel to other aircraft, includi ... read more