According to information published by the Royal Navy on June 22, 2021, the UK’s Carrier Strike Group has joined the fight against Daesh with F-35 jets carrying out their very first combat missions from HMS Queen Elizabeth.
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US Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs, center, lead a formation of IAF F-35I, right, and Royal Air Force F-35B, left, during Exercise Tri-Lightning over the Mediterranean Sea in 2019 (Picture source: US Air Force)
Stealth jets of the renowned 617 Squadron RAF (The Dambusters) carried out operational sorties for the first time in support of Operation Shader and US Operation Inherent Resolve.
For the task group, which has spent previous weeks in the Mediterranean working with NATO allies and partners, it marks a change of emphasis.
From exercises and international engagements, it is now delivering its full might of naval and air power, putting the “strike” into Carrier Strike Group and contributing to the UK’s fight against Daesh.
Carrier Strike Group 21, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, is the largest concentration of maritime and air power to leave the UK in a generation and this is its first operational deployment, which is joint between the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
There are 18 UK and US F-35 Lightning jets onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is the largest number to ever sail the seas. The aircraft is next generation multi-role combat aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and stealth technology.
Number 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron, originally based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and currently based at RAF Marham in Norfolk. It is commonly known as the "Dambusters", for its actions during Operation Chastise against German dams during the Second World War.
The Dambusters reformed on 18 April 2018, and was equipped at RAF Marham in June 2018 with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning, becoming the first squadron to be based in the UK with this advanced V/STOL type. The unit is composed of both RAF and Royal Navy personnel, and operates from the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the contribution of the United Kingdom in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The operation involves the British Army providing ground support and training to allied forces fighting against ISIL, the Royal Air Force providing humanitarian aid airdrops, reconnaissance and airstrikes, and the Royal Navy providing escort to allied carrier battle groups. Additionally, UK Special Forces have reportedly operated in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Tunisia.
