UK F-35B Lightnings at RAF Marham

Ian Harding witnessed the arrival of the latest six UK F-35B Lightnings at RAF Marham, an event that also marked 207 Squadron’s appearance to the Norfolk base

F-35B Lightning ZM151 landing at RAF Marham in fading light after a transatlantic flight from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. Five of the six aircraft carried the new Lightning Force tail marking. All images Ian Harding

JULY 16s six-ship F-35B arrival marked a huge boost to the United Kingdoms Lightning Force. On August 1, 207 Squadron officially reformed at Marham as the United Kingdoms F-35B Lightning operational conversion unit, some six years after the former Tucano squadron disbanded in late 2013. With 207 now resident at Marham, all pilot training for the UKs fifthgeneration fighter will now take place on home shores for the first time.

Transatlantic

Following a nine-hour flight from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, at approximately 19:50hrs, the first four jets completed a formation flypast over the base led by Wg Cdr Scott Williams, Officer Commanding 207 Squadron, before touching down on runway 06. All six aircraft taxied to their parking spots under state-of-the art sun shelters on a new apron located within the new integrated squadron and training facility located on the south side of the base. The six-ship formation included the UK’s eighteenth F-35B serial number ZM152; the only jet without the new tail markings comprising a lightning flash and the aircraft’s three numbers from its serial number on the nose. In due course, all Lightning Force jets will receive these markings. On hand to welcome Wg Cdr Williams and his colleagues were the pilots’ families, Air Vice Marshall Harvey Smyth, Air Officer Commanding 1 Group and Gp Capt Ian Townsend RAF Marham’s Station Commander.

Once the celebrations had past, Wg Cdr Williams spoke with AIR International about his squadron’s relocation to Marham from the United States. He said: “We are all glad to be back, and for me personally as OC 207 Squadron, it’s a huge privilege to know I have to get us up and running, and training as soon as possible. We now have six new aeroplanes to do that with, with more to be delivered next year, so we are definitely looking forward to a major period of growth.” Explaining the transatlantic flight, Wg Cdr Williams said the six-ship departed Beaufort just after 06:00 local time and rendezvoused with a Voyager tanker from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina heading north east along the US east coast conducting a couple of air refuellings. He said: “Off Halifax, Nova Scotia and Gander, Newfoundland, we were met by two further Voyagers which remained with us across the Atlantic; two F-35Bs on one and four on the other. All six aircraft refuelled eight times before we left our tankers over Land’s End, Cornwall to complete the remaining 25-minute flight time to Marham. Some of the air refuellings were close together to keep fuel levels high to enable us to fly as far as possible in the event of an emergency. Everything went well.” The United Kingdom has now received 18 F-35Bs (of 48 required to meet current operational requirements) with 15 based at RAF Marham; 138 aircraft are on the UK’s programme of record.

Training

Having trained alongside their United States Marine Corps counterparts at Beaufort since 2013, aircrew from both nations have forged lasting relationships. After the initial cadre of UK F-35 pilots returned home to form 617 Squadron, Wg Cdr William’s unit remained at Beaufort for an additional year to train Marine Corps and UK pilots. Williams confirmed the introductory phase of pilot training is complete, and the next phase is underway. Commenting on the support provided by the Marine Corps, he said: “Training provided by our US Marine Corps counterparts was excellent. The Marines are consummate professionals and care passionately about everything they do. To be part of that has been very unique, a privilege and a huge honour. That said, everyone is now focussed on growing the Lightning Force over the next few years, standing up 809 Naval Air Squadron in due course (scheduled for 2023), and training more people.” Williams also confirmed the UK had completed its training at Beaufort save one pilot who is continuing to train for approximately one further month.

The Pooling Implementing Agreement which the UK held with the Marine Corps to train UK pilots has now ended after six years. Under the agreement, UK pilots were taught to fly the F-35B and qualified as instructors. He said: “Two of the eight pilots [207 Squadron] were QFIs [Qualified Flight Instructors] beforehand, now we are all instructors. In terms of the training provided to 207 Squadron pilots, anyone who went through the course as an ab-initio student spent longer in training than the standard Marines Corps course. All of 207 Squadron’s current pilots [all have previous fast jet experience] undertook the condensed transition course before moving to the instructor course; the two courses lasted just over one year from start to finish. Personally, I then spent just over one year instructing Marine Corps students. Our start date is September 2 which is when we receive the first UK students, a mix of ab-initio and transition pilots [those transitioning from other aircraft], so we have six weeks to get up to speed in our new home.”

Norfolk’s next-generation

Wg Cdr Williams leads 207 Squadron into Marham’s new squadron and training facilities located on the south side of the base.
The pilot of F-35B Lightning ZM149 hands his crew bag to the awaiting ground crew.
Two 617 Squadron F-35B Lightnings in one of the refurbished hardened aircraft shelters.

Explaining how the arrival of 207 Squadron at Marham marks a new era for the station while standing on a new apron with ten F-35s parked under state-of-the-art shelters never before used in the UK, Gp Capt Townsend described the scene as exciting. He said: “It’s not just about celebrating the success of 617 Squadron who performed brilliantly during its recent first operational deployment [Exercise Lightning Dawn], but we are already providing pilot training at Marham for the first time, not just any pilot training but pilot training in the world’s best combat aeroplane.” Townsend confirmed F-35B pilot training commenced at the beginning of July when four pilots entered ground school at the new integrated training centre. He said: “Training will grow slowly but surely, and by early September we will complete our first live training sorties. Because our pilots, maintainers and mission specialists have trained in the United States, we are not starting from scratch but need to get used to training away from Beaufort. The synthetic capability is cutting edge. We have four full mission simulators which are linked allowing us to do fourship training. The ratio mix between synthetic and live training on the conversion course is approximately 65/35. On the frontline squadron its approximately 50/50.”

Townsend said the inaugural six-week operational deployment to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus in May 2019 had provided new impetus to the Lightning Force. He said: “The whole point of Lightning Dawn was to learn things about deployed operations on our own terms, and are more prepared for any future deployment if tasked unexpectedly. The exercise also proved successful for our maintainers and mission data support specialists from a networking perspective. For example, we learned a lot about the aircraft’s Autonomic Logistics Information System, the network, which underpins the F-35. This Autumn will see our first frontline embarkation of 617 Squadron, plus elements of 207 Squadron, aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) for a couple of months to put the aircraft through its paces for the first time. When you consider where the Lightning Force was at the beginning of 2019 to where it will be at the end of the year, it has moved forward in leaps and bounds.”