As part of the Joint Strike Fighter programme of the RAF, the first four fifth-generation stealth multirole fighters, the F-35B Lightning II finally crossed the Atlantic to arrive at its base in Marham, Norfolk. All the supersonic planes had been shipped from the US Marine Corps base in South Carolina from the American aviation company Lockheed Martin, and had cost the United Kingdom £92 million each. After the deal of 138 shipments of these combat jets into the UK is made, both the RAF and the Royal Navy pilots are expected to lead it into operations within this year.
When complete, the F-35B jets would become a part of The Dambusters, which is actually a reformed version of the WWII 617 squadron, renamed after one of its famous missions. According to the reports of Douglas Barrie, a senior at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, England, these R-35B jets mark the first inclusion of a foreign aircraft into the British service which is designed to be low-observable and stealthy in its eternal dimensions. The F-35B jets, thus, retain much greater survivability in low-key missions than previous aircrafts of its kind.
All the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation jets are equipped with the much sought-after vertical landing capabilities, which is quite similar to the native English first-generation Harrier Jump Jet. Nevertheless, the four jets which presently arrived at the UK did not attempt a show of braggadocio, and used the normal runway to ensure a risk free landing. The next shipment consisting of five more F-35s is scheduled for arrival at RAF Marham again sometime in July.