F-35B fighter jets aim for full operational capability on HMS Prince of Wales deployment

The News, Portsmouth

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00:00Operation Highmaster signifies a major milestone for the Lightning program. It will realise full

00:13operational capability for F-35 in the UK with the ability to deploy two squadrons to the

00:18maritime operating base. As well this year we are looking to declare a carrier strike full

00:24operating capability of which F-35 forms a key part of in the ability to strike our targets at

00:31range. We are international by design on Operation Highmast and we will be operating with the key

00:38allies and partners where we go. In particular we're going to have a focus on NATO as we are

00:43operating around Europe and also having a real big role to play in the Indo-Pacific region with

00:50our key allies and partners in the Far East. The Lightning Airwing personnel are deploying onto

00:56HMS Prince of Wales for Operation Highmast and as we have proven in years gone by we're able to deploy

01:03to the maritime base and integrate completely seamlessly with our Royal Navy counterparts

01:08and to fly and fight together. As the Airwing Commander I'm responsible for the force generation

01:15of F-35 capability and also for the safety elements of whether the people here working on the base or

01:22at sea are safe in the execution of their duties. So in 2025 F-35 will declare a full operating capability

01:31known as FOC. Now this is an important milestone for the program which culminates after years of effort

01:37to get to this stage and it will be the realisation for us to be able to deploy two squadrons to two

01:42different locations in the world, land or sea, to deliver air effect. F-35 full operator capability

01:51is important for defence as a whole because it provides more choice for the government. Fifth

01:56generation air power is important for us to be able to control the air in a contested environment

02:01and by having two squadrons that are capable of delivering this effect it provides more choice

02:07and more options for the government to deliver a military capability. F-35 is procured globally and

02:16this provides us with the opportunity to integrate really easily with our partners whether we're

02:22fighting in Europe or we're fighting in the Indo-Pacific region we are able to fly and fight alongside

02:29all of the partners that are operating F-35 seamlessly with the same technology and the ability to control the

02:35sky together. So F-35 is a what's known as a fifth generation fighter. A fifth generation means that

02:44it has a fused combination of sensors what that really means is it can hear and see things at really

02:51long range and bring it together to understand exactly what's going on in the real world and then

02:56with the combination of weapons that we have we can either fire missiles to be able to control the

03:02air. We can drop bombs to affect targets on the ground or we can employ the electronic sensor suite

03:08through electronic attack i.e being able to provide some sort of effect of jamming against sensors that

03:14are on the ground. The UK currently owns 35 F-35Bs. We are growing that over the next year to 47 F-35s

03:28and then over the rest of the decade we're looking to procure more to take the total numbers of F-35 up to 76.

03:39809 naval air squadron recommissioned in December 2023 and we are preparing to deploy an operation

03:46high mast with a declaration of initial operating capability. So although 809 naval air squadron

03:53clearly has a naval badge it is a truly joint team with approximately 50% of our personnel coming from

03:59the Royal Air Force and the other half coming from the Royal Navy. That comes across the whole squadron

04:05whether it's executive branch or the engineers or mission support personnel coming from both services

04:11and delivering the same job and the same output. So full operating capability is a big step for 809 building

04:17on all the work that we've been doing as a squadron over the last 12 to 18 months. It will see us be able

04:22to operate independently anywhere around the world at the request of the UK government delivering air

04:29power either from land bases ashore or from the sea from an aircraft carrier. 809 naval air squadron work

04:37very closely as part of the UK combat air force working really for the Royal Air Force but also we're a key

04:46link to the Royal Navy particularly when it comes from delivering air power at sea. Working alongside

04:52our partner squadron 617 we deliver frontline fifth generation capability when and where is required by

05:00the UK government. Operation high mast will see 809 squadron deploy on HMS Prince of Wales and it is a

05:09truly global deployment. Going to sea with our partner squadron 617 we'll see the bulk of the

05:16frontline capability of the F-35 Lightning force go from everywhere through the Mediterranean,

05:22the Middle East and into the Pacific working closely with our partners and allies around the world.

05:29Whilst this year we'll see the declaration of F-35 Lightning full operational capability it will also see

05:36the declaration of full operating capability for the carrier strike group. F-35 is just one element of

05:42that our ability to work alongside the other naval assets and other elements of the CSG is critical

05:49and something we'll look to prove this year. Operation high mast clearly has the head mark of F-35 and

05:56carrier strike group full operating capability. In a time where the world is as unsettled as it is right now

06:03it's hugely important that we get out, we exercise with our allies and our F-35 partners to prove the capability

06:10that we have in UK defence. Deploying to the Indo-Pacific region will obviously give us the

06:17opportunity to exercise alongside our allies particularly the Australians and Japanese forces

06:23who operate F-35 alongside us. The programme is global by design and gives us an excellent opportunity

06:32to work with each other very closely to understand and further develop our tactics techniques and procedures

06:38to make sure the platformer is as lethal and deployable as possible.

06:47I'm the first Royal Marine to command a fighter squadron in the UK. This is for myself an incredible

06:55privilege and an honour to be able to take on the reins of the officer commanding 617 squadron. It's also

07:00unique for UK defence but what it really shows is the the joint nature of the squadron and how we

07:07integrate with Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and also civilian personnel as well. The F-35 programme is

07:14crucial to UK defence working closely with Typhoon. It means that UK combat air has an incredibly potent

07:22capability. The marriage of F-35B with the Queen Elizabeth class carriers also allows us to operate from

07:30land and from sea and deliver effect around the globe at a time and place of our choosing.

07:37The UK is currently working towards full operating capability for F-35. What this will mean for the UK

07:43is our ability to deploy and fight from land and sea bases. One of the real advantages of the F-35 programme

07:51is our ability to work alongside other F-35 nations. This means that alliances such as NATO and other

07:58partnerships we have globally allow us to have more reach and more potency around the world.

08:06Operation Highmass will see the deployment of UK F-35 in HMS Prince of Wales.

08:10The deployment will take us around the world and give us the opportunity to work closely

08:14with other allies and partners as we seek to improve our operational and tactical capability.

08:20It also gives us the opportunity to foster strategic relationships with our partners and our

08:25other nations around the world as we seek to challenge anybody who would undermine global security.

08:32Operation Highmass is an incredibly important deployment. For 6-on-7 Squadron it gives us the

08:37ability to hone our skills across a variety of mission sets. It also allows us to develop operationally,

08:44working alongside allies and partners from other nations.

08:58lessons from other nations on the world as we side of riders across a variety oförsen ryreek

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