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Achievements
The F-35B Lightning II achieved
Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier Initial Operating Capability allowing it to operate from sovereign aircraft carriers. This is a key part of the delivery programme towards full operating capability.
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F-35B Lightning II Equipment Background
The F-35B Lightning II aircraft is an advanced, fifth generation aircraft procured to operate alongside the RAF’s Typhoon. It is jointly crewed by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, has the ability to operate with equal capability from land and sea and forms an integral part of Carrier Strike operating from the UK Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. It is a multi-role combat aircraft, meaning a single aircraft can conduct the roles and missions of different aircraft types simultaneously. These include air-to-air operations, air- tosurface operations and intelligence gathering. The aircraft has been designed for growth and expansion of its capabilities, which will continue to be developed through life to ensure we stay ahead of emerging threats.
SDSR 15 accelerated the purchase of Lightning aircraft to generate 2 front-line squadrons, from 2023, delivering a carrier strike capability second only to the USA. The Initial flight trials of the F-35 Lightning aircraft from HMS Queen Elizabeth were completed successfully in 2020, the first major step in allowing a coherent build-up towards delivering a carrier Strike capability for the UK. The inaugural deployment of the Carrier Strike Group in 2021 to the IndoPacific region showcased the UK’s ability to project global influence.
In Year Progress
In December 2020, Initial Operating Capability (Maritime) was declared to enable Lightning to deploy to a Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier and conduct operations from a land or sea base, contributing to the UK's Carrier Strike capability. The focus for the Lightning Programme is now building to
generate two front-line squadrons from 2023. In May 2021, Lightning began a contribution to Operation FORTIS, the inaugural operational embarkation of the Lightning Force on HMS Queen Elizabeth.
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Meteor on F-35B: Meteor is a beyond visual range air-to-air missile featuring active radar guidance and exceptional longrange performance. Developed by a 6-nation partnership, it is currently in service on Typhoon and will undergo modification to allow internal carriage on Lightning II.
Meteor was assigned a place in the Followon Development Programme by the F-35 Joint Programme Office and contracts were awarded to Lockheed Martin in the early summer. However,
entry into service is not anticipated to be until 2027 and there is a possibility that integration pressures in the programme may incur further delays because of challenges in the wider F-35 programme.
Spear Capability 3: SPEAR Capability 3 is a medium-range missile due to enter service in 2025/26 as the primary air-to-surface weapon for Lightning II. Guided by GPS, laser or advanced radar scene matching, its miniaturised turbine engine gives it a substantial range advantage over equivalent sized unpowered weapons.
The first ‘design definition’ missile was built ready for robustness testing and the first guided firings are scheduled to begin later this year on Typhoon. These firings will derisk integration onto Lightning II. However,
the anticipated entry into service on Lightning II of 2025 is likely to slip to 2026, on account of the overburdened integration schedule.
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