Royal Navy: F-35 fighter jets used by HMS Queen Elizabeth conduct naval air combat trial with US pilots

Military personnel conducted aerial war games just outside Los Angeles during the US Navy’s Grey Flag exercise. The aim was for the pilots to experiment with the latest weapons and aerial developments.

British forces made a 90-mile trip Naval Base Ventura County at Point Magu, just west of Los Angeles, where they conducted exercises with American F-35 fighter jets. The exercise involved numerous variants of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, C130s, an RAF Voyager for air-to-air refuelling, and un-crewed systems, while surface ships operated in the exercise area off the Californian coast.

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The ranges at Point Magu cover 36,000 square miles of air and sea space. Sensors recorded data throughout the area to track the performance of the aircraft, their weapons and other systems. Pilots conducted 600 sorties in 60 different tests across the two-week exercise, with more than two dozen different systems being assessed and evaluated.

More than 3,000 US personnel took part in Gray Flag, with roughly 60 air and ground crew from the UK taking part, as well as aviators from the 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron. The aim was for the British troops to develop their skills for future F-35 operations by participating in different formations and air forces.

As with the rest of the UK’s Lightning Force, 17 TES is a mixed RAF-Fleet Air Arm – 75 men and women drawn from both Services who are charged with pushing the boundaries of F-35 operations. At their Edwards Air Force Base, Royal Navy and RAF pilots work alongside F-35 users from the US and Australia. They form the United Operational Test Team, where they develop tactics, test sensors, software and other kit - ensuring that the fifth-generation fighter remains ahead of current and future threats. F-35 jets remain integral to UK Carrier Strike Group operations, with the aircraft being tested to their limits during Exercise Strike Warrior in the North Sea last year.