Britain's new stealth jets that will one day fly off QE to land in UK

CUTTING-EDGE stealth fighter jets which will fly from HMS Queen Elizabeth are expected to touch down in the UK early next month, the Defence Secretary has announced.
Britain's new supersonic 'stealth' strike fighter, the F-35B Lightning II -  SAC Tim Laurence/MoD Crown Copyright/PA WireBritain's new supersonic 'stealth' strike fighter, the F-35B Lightning II -  SAC Tim Laurence/MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire
Britain's new supersonic 'stealth' strike fighter, the F-35B Lightning II - SAC Tim Laurence/MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire

Gavin Williamson confirmed the imminent arrival of the multimillion-pound supersonic warplanes during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the daring Dambusters raid.

The Defence Secretary said: ‘Seventy-five years ago the Dambusters pushed the boundaries of what was possible.

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‘That same spirit of innovation continues today as the Dambusters of today prepare to fly the world’s most advanced fighter jet in the skies over the UK.

Britain's new supersonic 'stealth' strike fighter, the F-35B Lightning II -  SAC Tim Laurence/MoD Crown Copyright/PA WireBritain's new supersonic 'stealth' strike fighter, the F-35B Lightning II -  SAC Tim Laurence/MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire
Britain's new supersonic 'stealth' strike fighter, the F-35B Lightning II - SAC Tim Laurence/MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire

‘Just like those Lancasters which played such a vital role in the Second World War, the F-35B Lightning is based on great British design, operating with futuristic technology to adapt to an increasingly dangerous world.’

They are due to arrive two months ahead of schedule, which the Ministry of Defence said allows for extra training time for 617 Squadron before declaring initial operational service from land.

Later this year F-35 flight trials will take place off the £3.1bn behemoth aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

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Four of the aircraft are due to fly across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States next month and will do so with between 12 and 15 air-to-air refuelling serials per jet.

The commanding officer of 617 Squadron, where the Dambusters were based, Wing Commander John Butcher, said: ‘I have the great privilege of leading a jointly manned squadron made up of the best engineers, mission support personnel and pilots from the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

‘The original Dambuster squadron did not know what their mission was going to be until the last moment, yet they had to make sure they were ready, and that is as true for us today.

‘The spectrum of missions we can undertake in the F-35 will be huge and we have to make sure we are ready to do whatever is asked of us.’

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The UK is embarked on a £9.1 billion programme to buy 48 by 2025 of the F-35, the world’s most advanced fighter jet, from American aviation giant Lockheed Martin, but has pledged to purchase 138.

Britain currently has 15 of the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the jets in the United States being tested and used for training.