July 15, 2019 – The first Boeing P-8A Poseidon for the United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF) took off from Renton, Wash. at 10:00 a.m. Pacific on July 12, marking the first flight of this inaugural UK P-8A. During the 90 minute flight key testing took place before the aircraft touched down and moved to the next phase of preparation…
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June 27, 2019 (Google Translation) – The 29 and 30 May 2019, the frigate La Fayette kind Guépratte participated in the exercise Argonaut 2019. Organized by the Cyprus navy, this exercise was to implement ways to SAR ( search and rescue , SAR) from from 7 countries, during a scenario simulating the crash of an aircraft and the disappearance of…
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June 25, 2019 – The UK’s newest and most advanced fighter jet, the Lightning F-35B, has successfully completed its first operational missions. F-35s have flown alongside Typhoon aircraft on operational flights over the skies of Syria and Iraq, as part of the ongoing fight against Daesh, the Defence Secretary has confirmed. This follows a successful training period in Cyprus, known…
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February 18, 2019 – Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced that the UK’s new fleet of submarine hunting aircraft will take to the skies over the Arctic next year. While visiting Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel on winter training in Norway, the Defence Secretary announced that as part of their first deployment next year the RAF P8 Maritime Patrol…
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January 31, 2019 – Defence Minister Stuart Andrew has announced the first fuel tanks supporting the UK’s new fleet of submarine hunting aircraft have rolled off the line in Cambridge. The major milestone comes after the first cohort of RAF aircrew commenced their training for the program earlier this month, marking the start of a vital enhancement of the UK’s…
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December 4, 2018 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) received a Special Airworthiness Certification in the Experimental Category from the FAA for its second MQ-9B SkyGuardian aircraft. The company-owned Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) – registered as N191FP and known as YBC02 – joins the first SkyGuardian in support of the MQ-9B development program. This certification permits YBC02 to conduct…
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December 5, 2018 – Serving personnel, veterans, former MOD civilian personnel and contractors may have seen media reports about asbestos being found in some sea king helicopters. The MOD has undertaken an investigation and people that may have had an association with the sea king might find the following information useful in considering the possible risk of exposure: Asbestos in sea king the sea king…
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November 30, 2018 – Side by side several thousand feet above eastern England three warbirds fly in close formation as UK F-35s take part in their first combat exercise in home skies: playing out a mock 21st-Century Battle of Britain. Two Lightnings – one flown by an RAF pilot, the second with a Fleet Air Arm aviator in the cockpit…
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November 15, 2018 – The UK is set to double its number of world-beating F-35 stealth jets after ordering 17 more aircraft, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced. The 17 new F-35B aircraft will be delivered between 2020 and 2022 and will complement the 16 British aircraft currently based at RAF Marham and in the US, as well as two…
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November 12, 2018 – While her sister pumps hundreds of tonnes of fuel into Britain’s new aircraft carrier, RFA Tidesurge is proving the £113m ships are more than mere tankers. The third of four large, fast tankers – built specifically to support the UK’s two Queen Elizabeth-class flagships – is carrying out trials with the largest helicopter on the UK…
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October 2, 2018 – This week the first F-35 Lightning fighter jets landed on the deck of the United Kingdom’s new aircraft carrier making history and marking the beginning of more than half-a-century of ‘Carrier Strike’ operations. Royal Navy Cmdr. Nathan Gray and Royal Air Force Sq. Ldr. Andy Edgell, both test pilots at the F-35 Integrated Test Force at…
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Today (20 September), RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon fighter aircraft scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth to monitor two Russian planes approaching UK airspace. The Russian Blackjacks long-range bombers were not talking to air traffic control, making them a hazard to all other aviation. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: Russian bombers probing UK airspace is another reminder of the very serious…
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September 12, 2018 – The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are currently making a thorough investigation into whether some sea king helicopters contain asbestos. Veterans may have seen media reports about asbestos being found in some sea King helicopters. The MOD is undertaking a thorough investigation of this and any advice to veterans will be published here when available. In the meantime, the…
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Britain’s new stealth fighter jet, the F-35B Lightning, has carried out its first trials armed with UK-built weapons, showcasing the major role that the UK plays in the supersonic aircraft and bringing it a step closer to operations on the frontline. Defence Minister Stuart Andrew revealed that a British F-35 Lightning jet reached the landmark milestone whilst he was on…
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August 22, 2018 – Ramping up training ahead of debuting on Britain’s new carrier, ex-Fleet Air Arm pilot Peter ‘Wizzer’ Wilson takes off from a replica ski jump in an F-35B. Four test pilots are getting in last-minute training ready to take their specially-modified stealth fighters aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth next month. They’ll conduct around 500 landings and take-offs on the…
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