HMS Queen Elizabeth: F-35 jets drop first bombs during Royal Navy carrier's historic flight tests in US

By The Newsroom
Published 19th Oct 2018, 12:20 BST
Updated 19th Oct 2018, 13:25 BST
F-35 jets have dropped the first test bombs from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Royal NavyF-35 jets have dropped the first test bombs from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Royal Navy
F-35 jets have dropped the first test bombs from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Royal Navy
The first bombs have been dropped from F-35 jets taking part in historic flight tests on the HMS Queen Elizabeth.Â

The Royal Navy's £3.1bn warship has been on deployment to America after leaving Portsmouth in August. 

She is set to sail into New York today (October 19) and will anchor in the River Hudson. 

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The Royal Navy said that the first test bombs '“ inert GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided precision bombs - were dropped off the east coast of the USA. 

F-35 jets have dropped the first test bombs from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Royal NavyF-35 jets have dropped the first test bombs from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Royal Navy
F-35 jets have dropped the first test bombs from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Royal Navy
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Which marks another significant milestone in the carrier's trials '“ following the first fighter jet to land on the warship. 

Adding the 500lb bombs to the jets for take-off has enabled the trials teams to see how the jets behave when carrying various weights, gathering crucial test data.

Commander Neil Mathieson, the head of the air engineering department on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, said: '˜This marks a significant milestone for us.

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'˜It makes me excited about operational trials next year with the UK's F-35 Lightning squadrons when we will see live Paveways being dropped.

'˜These trials are an important pathway to that point.'