Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
(asked on 21st May 2018) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Royal Air Force Squadron 617 will be fully operational; and what roles it will fulfil.
This question was answered on 4th June 2018
It is planned for the Lightning Force to achieve Initial Operating Capability (IOC) from land bases in December 2018.
At IOC the UK F-35B will, as a multi-role aircraft, have the ability to conduct a full range of missions including air-to-air and air-to-surface operations.
In autumn 2018, we will begin initial flight trials for F-35B aircraft from HMS Queen Elizabeth, building towards delivering an Initial Operating Capability (Carrier Strike) from late 2020.