Editing Royal Air Force (section)

====Lightning====
The [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II|Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II]] is a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather [[Stealth aircraft|stealth]] [[multirole combat aircraft]]. It is intended to perform both [[Air superiority fighter|air superiority]] and [[Attack aircraft|strike]] missions while also providing [[electronic warfare]] and [[intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance]] capabilities. It will be jointly operated by the RAF and the Royal Navy and with its ability to perform [[STOVL|short take-offs and vertical-landings]] (STOVL), can operate from the Royal Navy's [[Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier|''Queen Elizabeth''-class]] aircraft carriers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lightning F-35B|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910172607/https://www.raf.mod.uk/|archive-date=10 September 2017|access-date=1 July 2020|website=Royal Air Force|language=en-gb}}</ref> Originally a total of 138 Lightnings were planned,<ref>{{cite web|date=2 August 2012|title=UK Tornado fleet to retire in 2019, says BAE|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-tornado-fleet-to-retire-in-2019-says-bae-375014/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819071159/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-tornado-fleet-to-retire-in-2019-says-bae-375014/|archive-date=19 August 2012|access-date=4 November 2012|publisher=Flightglobal.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=25 March 2013|title=BBC News – RAF Marham base for Joint Strike Fighter|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-21925225|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528100753/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-21925225|archive-date=28 May 2013|access-date=8 July 2013|publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Gareth|last=Corfield|date=19 May 2017|title=Blighty's buying another 17 F-35s, confirms the American government|website=[[The Register]]|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/19/uk_buys_17_more_f35b_lrip_12_14/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806152349/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/19/uk_buys_17_more_f35b_lrip_12_14/|archive-date=6 August 2017|access-date=22 July 2017}}</ref> however the 2021 Defence Command Paper amended this to a commitment to increase the fleet beyond the current order of 48.<ref name="2021DCP"/> By May 2025, 39 F-35Bs had been delivered to the RAF<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-takes-delivery-of-more-f-35-stealth-jets/ | title=Britain takes delivery of more F-35 stealth jets |website=U.K. Defence Journal |last=Langford |first=Craig | date= 8 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.f35.com/f35/global-enterprise/united-kingdom.html |title=United Kingdom |website=F-35 Lightning II |access-date=15 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="auto3">{{cite web | url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-takes-delivery-of-more-new-f-35-stealth-jets/#:~:text=The%20arrival%20of%20more%20F,by%20the%20end%20of%202025. | title=Britain takes delivery of more new F-35 stealth jets |website=UK Defence Journal |last=Allison |first=George | date= 17 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=George |last=Allison |url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-takes-delivery-of-more-f-35-jets/ |title=Britain takes delivery of more F-35 jets |website=UK Defence Journal |date=21 November 2022 |access-date=20 January 2023}}</ref> (though one crashed in November 2021).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forces.net/news/hms-queen-elizabeth-british-f-35-crashes-over-mediterranean|title=HMS Queen Elizabeth: British F-35 crashes in Mediterranean|website=Forces Network|date=17 November 2021 |access-date=29 January 2022|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129150930/https://www.forces.net/news/hms-queen-elizabeth-british-f-35-crashes-over-mediterranean|url-status=live}}</ref> The F-35B has an out of service date (OSD) of 2069.<ref>{{cite web |first=Alex |last=Chalk |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/33417/documents/181571/default/ |title=Letter dated 9th January from Secretary of State to Chair regarding F-35 Update |website=UK Parliament |date=9 January 2023 |access-date=27 January 2023}}</ref>

The first RAF squadron to operate the F-35B was [[No. 17 Squadron RAF|No. 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards AFB]], California, accepting its first aircraft in 2014.<ref name="17Sqn">{{cite web|title=17(R) Squadron|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/17squadron.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028111104/http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/17squadron.cfm|archive-date=28 October 2016|access-date=1 April 2019|publisher=Royal Air Force}}</ref> [[No. 617 Squadron RAF|No. 617 (The Dambusters) Squadron]] officially reformed on 18 April 2018 as the first operational RAF Lightning squadron.<ref>{{cite web|date=2018-04-18|title=RAF's legendary Dambusters squadron reforms to fly F-35 Lightning jets &#124; Royal Air Force|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/rafs-legendary-dambusters-squadron-reforms-to-fly-f-35-jets/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815200857/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/rafs-legendary-dambusters-squadron-reforms-to-fly-f-35-jets/|archive-date=15 August 2018|access-date=2018-08-15|publisher=Raf.mod.uk}}</ref> The first four aircraft arrived at [[RAF Marham]] from the United States in June 2018,<ref>{{cite web|author=Taz Ali|title=F-35 Lightning fighter jets arrive at RAF Marham &#124; Latest Norfolk and Suffolk News – Eastern Daily Press|date=7 June 2018|url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/f-35-lightning-touches-down-in-norfolk-1-5551093|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815200954/http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/f-35-lightning-touches-down-in-norfolk-1-5551093|archive-date=15 August 2018|access-date=2018-08-15|publisher=Edp24.co.uk}}</ref> with a further five arriving in August 2018.<ref name="itv.com2">{{cite web|title=Further five F-35 fighter jets land at new RAF Marham home|url=http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2018-08-04/further-five-f-35-fighter-jets-land-at-new-raf-marham-home/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804170047/http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2018-08-04/further-five-f-35-fighter-jets-land-at-new-raf-marham-home/|archive-date=4 August 2018|access-date=4 August 2018|website=ITN News|date=4 August 2018}}</ref> The Lightning was declared combat ready in January 2019.<ref>{{cite news|title=First F-35 jets ready to battle for Britain|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/first-f-35-jets-ready-to-battle-for-britain-2pnwb6lqr|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111042516/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/first-f-35-jets-ready-to-battle-for-britain-2pnwb6lqr|archive-date=11 January 2019|access-date=11 January 2019}}</ref> The second UK based F-35B squadron to be formed was [[No. 207 Squadron RAF|No. 207 Squadron]] on 1 August 2019 as the OCU for both RAF and Royal Navy pilots.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 July 2017|title=Identity of F-35 Lightning Training Squadron Announced|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/identity-of-f35-lightning-training-squadron-announced-05072017/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728213241/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/identity-of-f35-lightning-training-squadron-announced-05072017/|archive-date=28 July 2017|access-date=1 April 2019|publisher=Royal Air Force}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=17 July 2019|title=Second Lightning Fight Jet Squadron Arrives In UK|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/second-lightning-fighter-jet-squadron-arrives-in-uk/|access-date=20 January 2020|website=raf.mod.uk|archive-date=17 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717153939/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/second-lightning-fighter-jet-squadron-arrives-in-uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>