Second squadron at RAF Marham stood up to fly F-35 fighters

A second frontline squadron has been stood up to fly the F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets.

The first of the United States-built warplanes touched down at RAF Marham in Norfolk in 2018.

The squadron, famously known as the Dambusters, 617 Squadron, was the first to be equipped with the £100m aircraft.

A second squadron - 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) - has now been stood up to fly the F-35 jets as well.

The squadron was originally formed in 1941 and most recently operated in 1982, flying during the Falklands War before the squadron was decommissioned in December of that year.

A parade and flypast marked the resurrection of 809 NAS at RAF Marham on Friday.

Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, RAF Air and Space Commander, said the plan was to be able to "readily deploy two front-line squadrons of Lightnings at sea, up to 24 aircraft" by late 2025.

"This is about adding more capability to our combat air force," AM Smyth said. "The Royal Air Force's primary role is to achieve control of the air in any time of conflict.

"We're seeing this play out quite clearly in Ukraine at the moment, where neither side has been able to gain control of the air."

He said the war in Ukraine underscored the "incredible importance of control of the air and a vital part of that is F-35, the fifth-generation capabilities".

"Its ability to work in a very highly contested environment, particularly where there's a lot of electronic warfare, and again, that's lessons we're seeing come out of Ukraine.

"It's brilliant to see us in growth, particularly with F-35."

He said the squadron faced a "pretty intensive work-up period" for much of the next year and continued to grow in size with new jets arriving and more personnel.

The Air Marshal said the squadron would be ready to deploy on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in 2025.

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