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809 Naval Air Squadron F-35Bs
As the photos in this post show, for the first time in nearly 15 years a Royal Navy fast jet squadron is today operating from the flight deck of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.
According to a Royal Navy news release, F-35B Lightning stealth fighters from 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), supported by their counterpart RAF Squadron 617, The Dambusters, have joined HMS Prince of Wales in the North Sea for a month of training – a key stepping stone for the squadron and the ship as both gear up to take part in an eight-month global deployment in 2025.
The fifth-generation jets made the short flight from their base at RAF Marham to the flattop where, over the coming weeks, some personnel will learn the art of operating from an aircraft carrier, while others will regenerate skills which have faded while working away from the sea.
For Commander Nick Smith the embarkation of the F-35Bs, supported by some 200 engineers, technicians, armourers, logistics and security experts, chefs, meteorologists among others, joining the 65,000-tonne warship is a milestone moment for the squadron, which only formed at the end of last year as the second of two UK front-line F-35B squadrons.
“This is a big moment for 809 Naval Air Squadron, a vital building block to working up with the carrier strike group in preparation for the deployment next year,” said Commander Smith.
“To be the commanding officer of a squadron with such a proud heritage is a huge privilege. We are still in our infancy forming as an F-35B squadron, so joining a carrier for the first time is truly a milestone.”
Intensive training
As with the two other Lightning formations based at Marham, 617 and 207 Squadrons, it draws its personnel roughly 50/50 from the RAF and Fleet Air Arm.
For three in every five personnel in 809 NAS – pilots, but especially their vital supporting ground crew – this is their first time at sea.
“For me, it’s about forging one team, embracing everything from operating from the flight deck to arming and maintaining the F-35s in the hangar.”
F-35 pilot Lieutenant Commander Armstrong said that while the Lightning was generations ahead of the Harrier which preceded it, operating it from a carrier remained a challenge.
Despite having worked side-by-side with the Navy for four years on the F-35, the RAF’s Sergeant ‘Thorpy’ Thorpe has never been to sea before.
He’s part of a team of six experienced non-commissioned officers/senior ratings responsible for the mechanical side of Lightning maintenance, and is looking forward to his time on HMS Prince of Wales as a foretaste of next year’s maiden operational deployment.
“I’ve worked alongside the Navy for four years now and while there are slightly different skills and trades, at the end of the day, we’re all working to the same, high, professional standard.”
The squadron will undergo intensive training over the next couple of weeks as pilots earn their carrier qualifications and personnel integrate with the ship’s company and grow accustomed to the routine at sea.
Thereafter training moves up through the gears as HMS Prince of Wales is joined by escorts and support ships to form a carrier strike group for a fortnight-long exercise focused in the North Sea, Strike Warrior.
The Immortals
Since re-forming in December, 809 NAS has been growing in number, its men and women working hard alongside 617 Squadron to expand the number of personnel and complete training to allow them to operate independently.
Known as the Immortals and distinguished by a phoenix on its badge, the squadron, 809 traces its history back to 1941 in various incarnations – mostly in World War 2, then resurrected again briefly in 1982 during the Falklands conflict, the most recent of its eight battle honours.
HMS Prince of wales
HMS Prince of wales is a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and it is one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK.
Her flight deck is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long – enough space for three football pitches – and she holds 45 days’ worth of food in stores.
She will have a crew complement (minimum crew) of around 700, increasing to around 1,600 with aircraft onboard.
HMS Prince of Wales’ size and scope is awe-inspiring – she can embark 36 F-35B and four Merlin Helicopters.
HMS Prince of Wales’ crew will have an expansive range of skills, so she will be able to meet the widest range of tasks around the world, including:
- Humanitarian relief, saving lives across the seven seas
- High intensity warfighting
- Fighting terrorism
Photo credit: Crown Copyright
