BRITAIN’S stealth fighter jets are poised to fly at a public event today for the first time since touching down on UK soil, as the RAF celebrates its centenary.
Up to three of the multi-million-pound warplanes are set to feature in the huge flypast above The Mall and Buckingham Palace.
The officer commanding 617 squadron, Wing Commander John Butcher, is set to fly an F-35 during the spectacle and said for him it is “very important” for the jets to feature.
“That will be the first that we will have flown it in a public environment since we landed back, so it is an exciting opportunity,” he said.
“Now we just need to make sure the jets are in a good place to fly.”
Four of the supersonic jets, which had been based at US Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, crossed the Atlantic last month.
They are now permanently based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, with another five of the jets expected to arrive in the UK between the end of July and the beginning of August.
Asked how likely it is that the jets will take part, Wg Cdr Butcher said he was hopeful that at least one jet will feature – but serviceability and the weather could affect numbers.
“It is very early days for us. We are still learning to operate back at our main operating base, so there are many factors at play that could prevent us from doing it,” he said.
“But I am still hopeful that we will be able to support it in some way.
“But the chance obviously still exists that we may not be able to.
“We haven’t got many jets here still and we are relying on a small pool.”
The warplanes will be among the largest concentration of military aircraft flying above London in recent memory as the RAF marks its centenary year.
Up to 100 jets, helicopters and aeroplanes from across a range of different eras of RAF history – including Spitfires from the Second World War and state-of-the-art aircraft – are expected to take part.
The Queen and prominent members of the royal family will attend a day of events.
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