THE GHOST RETURNS 617 SQUADRON RETURN FROM OP HIGHMAST THREE F-35Bs FLYPAST & INITIAL • RAF MARHAM

The last three return. Ghost flight is a flight of three F-35B Lightnings of 617 Squadron who are returning from a long 8 month Operation Highmast. They nearly caught me out with their initial flypast overhead of runway 05 but returned on initial using runway 23. Formation flying is a crucial attribute to any front line squadron, which dates back to the times of aviation itself. Since World War 1, formation flying was a fundamental advantage on the battlefield. It has many benefits too for both defence and offence. Here we have the 5th generation, stealth, STOVL fighter aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting. Yep, there is no "II" as the RAF omit the II because this is their third Lightning. Did you know the F-35B's hover capabilities is all British engineering? The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning's integral STOVL attribute is thanks to the Rolls-Royce Lift Fan LiftSystem which is connected to Pratt and Whitney's F-135 Turbofan engine. The huge Rolls‑Royce LiftFan® which is a 50inch diameter fan which can produce 20,000lbs and features hollow blade disk technology which connects via the driveshaft. Then you have roll posts for the lateral control and a 3 Bearing Swivel Module (3BSM) which is thrust vectoring to us, oh and in 2.5 seconds can do a 95 degree turn. The Liftsystem by Rolls Royce is the world’s only STOVL technology for supersonic jets. Since 1969 RR have delivered unrivalled STOVL expertise. The system is a descendant of the Pegasus engine. Rolls‑Royce has been the industry leader in short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) technology for 60 years. 207 Squadron is the joint RAF and Royal Navy Operational Conversion Unit for Lightning. It started as 7 Naval Air Squadron in 1916 at Petit-Synthe, France. The squadron then became part of the RAF in 1918 and in 1938, they became the Fairey Battle operational training unit at RAF Cottesmore. In 1968, 207 reformed at RAF Northolt as the RAF Communications Squadron, disbanding again in 1984. They then reformed again in 2002 at RAF Linton-on-Ouse as 207 (Reserve) Squadron conducting Basic Fast Jet Training for RAF and Royal Navy pilots, disbanding again in 2012. 7 years later in 2019, 207 squadron stood up as 207 Squadron at RAF Marham as the F-35 Lightning OCU. #f35 #lockheedmartin #raf #rafmarham #f35b #tedconingsby #stealth #f35lightning #trending #stovl #verticallandng #awesome #videography #runway #fighterpilot #fighterjet Official Ted Coningsby Merchandise https://tedconingsby.co.uk/shop/ noTEDS https://tedconingsby.co.uk/noteds/ Ted Social stuff Instagram   / ted_coningsby   Facebook   / tedconingsbyuk   X   / tedconingsby   www.tedconingsby.co.uk