F-35B jets embarked on British Navy HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier conduct live weapons training.

According to information published by the British Navy on October 9, 2020, F-35B Lightning fighter jets embarked on British Navy HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier have been undergoing live weapons training in the North Sea.
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F-35B Lightning jet on British Navy HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is loaded with live ammunition for training drills. (Picture source British Navy)

The F-35B Lightning jets have stepped up to the next level of training after the pilots completed their carrier qualification in both day and nighttime conditions. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. It is designed to operate from austere bases and a range of air-capable ships near front-line combat zones.

The F-35B STOVL is powered by Rolls-Royce patented shaft-driven LiftFan® propulsion system and an engine that can swivel 90 degrees when in short takeoff/vertical landing mode. Because of the LiftFan®, the STOVL variant has a smaller internal weapon bay and less internal fuel capacity than the F-35A. It uses the probe-and-drogue method of aerial refueling.

The F-35B fighter aircraft have been delivered to the U.S. Marines and the UK. U.S. STOVL aircraft are stationed at the first operational F-35B base, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, where F-35B training is taking place. The first UK F-35Bs are located at RAF 17 Squadron, Edwards AFB, California, where operational testing is being conducted. The Italian Air Force will also operate the F-35B.

617 Squadron, ‘The Dambusters’, and the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-211 jets, spent three days on exercise, dropping 500lb Paveway IV high explosive bombs onto a dedicated range off the coast of the UK.

The training proved HMS Queen Elizabeth’s ability to deliver F-35 strike mission sets from weapon prep through to execution.

The live weapons training comes as HMS Queen Elizabeth proved she can defend herself from air threats as she exercised with the Royal Navy’s Hawks from 736 Naval Air Squadron, the Royal Navy’s ‘attacker’ squadron.

The jets from RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service)Culdrose have been taking part in training with NATO ships as well as RAF Typhoons and the Lightning stealth fighters. The squadron is used to test ship’s companies and fighter controllers in how to respond to hostile aircraft or incoming missiles. It is part of the annual multi-national Exercise Joint Warrior, which is taking place off the east coast of Scotland this month.

The British Navy HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy. This awe-inspiring warship is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft. The flight deck comes in at an enormous four acres and will be used to launch the fearsome new F35 Joint Strike Fighter fast jet. Four fighter jets can be moved from the hangar to the flight deck in just one minute.