The "Wake Island Avengers" squadron of U.S. Marines F-35B fighter planes arrived in Britain on Wednesday to deploy with a British carrier strike force.

The aircraft traveled 5,000 miles from Marine Air Station Yuma, Ariz., to Royal Air Force Lakeheath, on England's eastern coast, to conduct final training for planned 28-week deployment aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The ship, with escort vessels from several NATO countries, will conduct its first operational deployment with planned visits to 40 countries, including India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

The escort vessels will include the U.S. Navy destroyer The Sullivans, and the frigate HNLMS Evertsen of the Royal Netherlands Navy, as well as British destroyers, frigates, submarines and support vessels.

The "Wake Island Avengers," formally the VMFA-211 Squadron, will join the RAF's 617 Squadron, known as the "Dambusters," to form what U.S. Defense Department on Wednesday called "the largest 5th-generation carrier air wing [of F-35s] in the world."

The Marines and their F-35B planes, which feature short-takeoff and landing capabilities, first practiced aboard the Queen Elizabeth in September 2020.

"Moving the Marines, aircraft and equipment to the United Kingdom required coordinated planning, complex logistical effort, diligent maintenance and seamless execution," Lt. Col. Andrew D'Ambrogi, commanding officer of VMFA-211, said Wednesday in a press release.

"Now that we have arrived in the United Kingdom, we are reintegrating with our U.K. counterparts and focused on providing both the commodore of CSG-21 [the HMS Queen Elizabeth] and U.S. combatant commanders with ready, combat-capable, 5th-generation aircraft," D'Ambrogi said.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Airbus to transform its European set-up in aerostructures
Toulouse, France (SPX) Apr 22, 2021
Airbus has provided more details to its social partners during a European Works Council (SE-WC) meeting about the Company's ongoing assessment of its industrial set-up in Europe, notably regarding aerostructures activities in France and Germany. Airbus has reaffirmed its intention to build a stronger aerostructures assembly value chain across its industrial system to its social partners, and considers aerostructures assembly as core to its business. Airbus presented its plans to create two i ... read more