F-35 The Harrier replacement that saw a return to the Joint Force approach
To those of a certain vintage, the image evoked by 617 Squadron would be that of a Lancaster bomber crew heading out across mainland Europe in the dead of night during WWII, putting their lives on the line to carry out a particularly daring attack.
But 75 years after the epic Dambusters raid (Operation Chastise) that made the unit’s name, No. 617 was reformed to operate the F-35B Lightning, the stealth STOVL (short take-off and vertical landing) multi-role aircraft capable of conducting a range of missions simultaneously, including air-to-air combat, electronic warfare, and intelligence gathering.
The aircraft is a single-seat, single-engine jet, capable of travelling at Mach 1.6 at high altitude (1,228mph), and Mach 1.06 (around 800mph) at sea level, with the ability to carry a payload of 15,000lbs combining missiles and bombs located both internally and on its six external stations. Designed for both land and carrier-based operations, it is equipped with advanced sensors and technology that make it difficult for the enemy to detect while in flight, incorporating the most technologically-advanced computers and networking capabilities of any jet.
It is said that while no aircraft is invisible, the radar cross section of the F-35 is similar to that of a small bird, or even a pebble, reducing its detection range significantly, with analysis estimating that it can be around 20 miles from its target before it is sighted.
The F-35 Lightning program is seen as the world’s largest defence acquisition, developing and delivering a fifth-generation fighter for the US and its allies, initial estimates pricing the delivery of the project in excess of $2 trillion in lifetime costs; the partner countries of the US are the UK, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway. (Turkey was initially one of the US’s partners in the program but its decision to acquire the Russian S-400 air defence system in 2019 saw it removed from the production supply chain and its order for the jets cancelled).
28 November 2025 – F-35B Lightning jet launches from HMS Prince of Wales, heading back to its home base, RAF Marham, Norfolk
The UK took delivery of its first F-35 in July 2012 for trial and testing, however, it wasn’t until June 2018 that four of the £100m aircraft officially arrived at RAF Marham in Norfolk, the primary centre for both the RAF and Royal Navy pilots and ground staff, with 617 Squadron reformed in the US prior to returning with the new jets and No. 207 Squadron its Operational Conversion Unit (OCU).
It was nearly two decades earlier that the prototype first took to the air, October 24, 2000 when Lockheed Martin flight tested their X-35 creation at Edwards Air Force Base in California, after being in development since 1992. The X-35 was in direct competition with Boeing’s X-32 in the US’s Joint Strike Fighter programme, the contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2001 with the X-35 becoming the F-35 Lightning.
Despite the long wait before the arrival of the aircraft at Marham, the UK was very much a key partner in the project from its inception: Britain’s BAE Systems manufacturing around 15 per cent of each airframe, Lockheed Martin tapping into their expertise in STOVL technology which was developed from the Harrier jet; the rear fuselage of every F-35 is built at Samlesbury in Lancashire, with the firm also delivering essential onboard electronics including the electronic warfare suite and the Active Inceptor System.
The F-35B STOVL was selected as the Harrier replacement, with particular emphasis on its deployment aboard the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, with the Lightning boasting two other variants: F-35A CTOL (conventional take-off and landing) and F-35C CV (carrier variant), which was created for the US Navy and Marine Corps with larger, folding wings and what is described as rugged landing gear for catapult-assisted take-off and arrested recovery on aircraft carriers.
In July 2012, the Conservative-led coalition government announced its decision to purchase an initial 48 Lightnings, with a commitment to purchase 138 of the aircraft. While initial Lightning operations at Marham were based around No. 617 and No. 207 Squadrons, the long-term plan was always to work alongside the Fleet Air Arm, 809 Naval Air Squadron being stood up at the Norfolk station in December 2023 as the second operational frontline F-35 unit.
As part of the combined operation, the Lightning Force was established, a concept that was developed during the planning stages for the introduction of the F-35 into UK service. Formed as a command organisation in October 2015, its work is similar to how operations of the Harrier were co-ordinated between the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm, a single command structure seeing full co-operation among crews of both services.
It was in October 2018 that HMS Queen Elizabeth undertook the first trial operations with the F-35 during a deployment to the United States, with 617 Squadron and 809 NAS conducting their first joint operations aboard a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, in October 2024.
While the US was joined by seven NATO members in delivering the Lightning program, it would be another ally who would carry out the first combat operation with the F-35. In May 2018, the Israeli Air Force confirmed they had carried out airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria flying F-35s.
While the capabilities of the aircraft have never been in doubt, the F-35 has not been without its mishaps, perhaps most notably in November 2021, when disaster struck on board HMS Queen Elizabeth. An F-35 was ready for a take-off on a routine flight but the aircraft failed to accelerate off the carrier’s deck, the pilot only just able to deploy his ejector before the jet toppled off the end of the ship into the Mediterranean; thankfully, he landed back on board receiving only minor injuries but the jet was already on its way into the depths of the sea.
F-35 Lightnings of 617 Squadron
A month later the MoD issued a short statement to say that the aircraft had been recovered with assistance from Italian and American crews; it is believed the jet had descended to around a mile under water before it was retrieved, with defence chiefs expressing confidence that its sensitive equipment had not been compromised.
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