UK F-35Bs to strike Islamic State on inaugural Queen Elizabeth carrier cruise
04 May 2021
by Gareth Jennings
The United Kingdom is to deploy the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria when the
HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier sails into the eastern Mediterranean later in May.
UK F-35Bs will strike Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq as part of HMS
Queen Elizabeth’s
inaugural operational cruise that is set to begin in the coming weeks.
(Crown Copyright)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 3 May that F-35Bs from Carrier Strike Group 2021 (CSG21) will provide a “tangible and impactful support to counter [Islamic State] operations in Iraq and Syria”.
Published:
4:30 PM May 4, 2021
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, where the USMC and Dambusters will serve
- Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA
A US Marines squadron has arrived in Suffolk to team up with the RAF s Dambusters ahead of a partnership on the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, also known as the Wake Island Avengers , flew to RAF Lakenheath from Arizona late last month to complete final training with the RAF 617 Squadron.
The Americans will be working alongside the Norfolk-based squadron – nicknamed the Dambusters – on the aircraft carrier which departed the UK on its maiden deployment on Sunday.
Published:
4:30 PM May 4, 2021
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, where the USMC and Dambusters will serve
- Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA
A US Marines squadron has arrived in Suffolk to team up with the RAF s Dambusters ahead of a partnership on the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, also known as the Wake Island Avengers , flew to RAF Lakenheath from Arizona late last month to complete final training with the RAF 617 Squadron.
The Americans will be working alongside the Norfolk-based squadron – nicknamed the Dambusters – on the aircraft carrier which departed the UK on its maiden deployment on Sunday.
Nine U.S. Marine Corps And Eight RAF F-35Bs Have Embarked On HMS Queen Elizabeth
Nine U.S. Marine Corps And Eight RAF F-35Bs Have Embarked On HMS Queen Elizabeth
17 F-35Bs have already landed aboard British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of CSG21 deployment.
As already reported 10 USMC F-35Bs aircraft, belonging to the VMFA-211 Wake Island Avengers, based at MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Yuma, Arizona, have arrived at RAF Lakenheath, UK between Apr. 26 and 28, 2021 to embark on HMS Queen Elizabeth, for UK’s new aircraft carrier’s first operational cruise, named CSG21.
On her maiden operational deployment, HMS QE will travel to the Indo-Pacific region leading the largest naval and air task force under British command since the Falklands war. However, before reaching the troubled waters of the South China Sea, the F-35Bs will be quite busy: they will take part in Exercise Joint Warrior/Strike Warrior off Scotland; then in drills with NATO partners in the northern