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operate from royal navy aircraft carriers warships naval air stations and other air bases providing capabilities including strike anti submarine warfare maritime surveillance reconnaissance and amphibious support 131 carrier aviation edit hms queen elizabeth flight deck with f 35b lightning ii the fleet air arm s fixed wing combat capability is provided by the f 35b lightning ii operated as part of the joint royal navy royal air force lightning force 809 naval air squadron was re formed in december 2023 as the lightning force s second front line f 35b squadron joining no 617 squadron raf the two squadrons operate the f 35b from raf marham when ashore and are intended to provide an interchangeable pool of royal navy and royal air force personnel for carrier operations 132 133 the f 35b provides fifth generation strike and air combat capability for the queen elizabeth class aircraft carriers in 2024 809 nas operated f 35bs from hms prince of wales during carrier training while in 2025 f 35bs from 809 nas and 617 squadron formed the fast jet component of the uk carrier strike group s deployment to the indo pacific 134 135 in 2026 f 35bs of 809 nas operated from hms prince of wales during exercise ramstein flag alongside the carrier s merlin and wildcat helicopters with sorties extending across northern europe 136 maritime aviation edit merlin hma2 with crowsnest asac arriving on hms queen elizabeth the fleet air arm s principal maritime helicopter types are the merlin hm2 and wildcat hma2 merlin hm2 is operated primarily in the anti submarine warfare and airborne early warning and control roles 820 naval air squadron provides the principal merlin force for the protection of the queen elizabeth class carrier strike groups with its aircraft using dipping sonar sonobuoys and torpedoes to detect and attack submarines while the airborne surveillance and control aircraft use radar to provide an extended air picture for the task group 137 merlin hm2 also provides airborne surveillance and control beyond carrier strike operations during the uk carrier strike group deployment in 2025 820 naval air squadron provided merlin aircraft for both anti submarine warfare and airborne surveillance and control with crowsnest equipped aircraft providing radar coverage over the task group 138 wildcat hma2 equipped with martlet missiles the wildcat hma2 provides the royal navy with a shipborne maritime attack and reconnaissance helicopter 815 naval air squadron operates the type in front line service employing the wildcat for anti surface warfare reconnaissance and surveillance while its weapons include the martlet and sea venom missiles sting ray torpedoes and the m3m heavy machine gun the aircraft can operate from the relatively small flight decks of royal navy frigates and destroyers and is also used for maritime security search and rescue logistics and humanitarian assistance 139 825 naval air squadron provides wildcat maritime conversion and training for pilots observers and engineers before they join the operational force 140 the combination of merlin and wildcat allows the fleet air arm to provide complementary capabilities within carrier strike groups and individual ship deployments merlin provides the principal airborne anti submarine and surveillance capability while wildcat provides a smaller shipborne force optimised for reconnaissance maritime security and engagement of surface targets 137 139 commando aviation edit wildcat ah1 of commando helicopter force the commando helicopter force provides aviation support to the uk commando force and royal marines it comprises 845 and 846 naval air squadrons which operate the merlin mk4 and mk4a and 847 naval air squadron which operates the wildcat ah1 141 the merlin mk4 is used for tactical mobility and amphibious operations including the movement of royal marines and equipment between ships and shore 845 naval air squadron provides tactical mobility including ship to shore strike air assault and the tactical insertion and extraction of personnel and equipment while also undertaking roles including personnel recovery search and rescue evacuation and maritime intra theatre lift 142 846 naval air squadron is the second frontline merlin mk4 squadron and also operates the operational conversion flight responsible for training pilots aircrew and engineers for the type 143 847 naval air squadron operates the wildcat ah1 in the armed reconnaissance and light transport roles in support of the royal marines its capabilities include intelligence surveillance target acquisition and reconnaissance fire control offensive action casualty evacuation and combat recovery the aircraft can operate either embarked or from land bases and is designed to support the commando force in a range of environments 144 uncrewed and autonomous aviation edit peregrine remotely piloted helicopter for surveillance tracking and target identification the fleet air arm is increasingly incorporating remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft into naval aviation 700x naval air squadron is the royal navy s specialist unit for remotely piloted air systems rpas and operates deployable flights using the puma rpas for surveillance the squadron also operates the malloy t 150 uncrewed aircraft system for transporting supplies and the peregrine remotely piloted helicopter for surveillance tracking and target identification it is responsible for training and experimentation in rpas and supports the royal navy s development of a hybrid navy in which uncrewed systems operate alongside crewed aircraft 145 in september 2025 the royal navy declared the malloy t 150 and peregrine ready for front line operations the t 150 was intended to transport supplies to royal marines in demanding environments while peregrine was introduced to provide intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance from royal navy warships 146 the royal navy is also developing the integration of uncrewed systems with conventional fleet air arm aircraft in 2025 a merlin hm2 operated with a puma remotely piloted aircraft during trials intended to demonstrate the use of crewed aircraft and drones together while subsequent trials in 2026 demonstrated a wildcat operating with multiple uncrewed systems and sensors 147 148 future development edit the fleet air arm s future development is increasingly centred on the integration of crewed and uncrewed aircraft the 2025 strategic defence review called for the royal navy s carrier air wings to evolve into a hybrid force combining crewed combat aircraft autonomous collaborative platforms and single use drones it also identified greater use of uncrewed systems as part of the future development of maritime surveillance and anti submarine warfare capabilities 149 the resulting force is therefore increasingly based on the combination of crewed aircraft and networked uncrewed systems f 35b provides the principal fixed wing carrier strike capability merlin provides anti submarine warfare and airborne surveillance and control wildcat provides shipborne maritime attack and reconnaissance and the commando helicopter force provides aviation support to the royal marines uncrewed systems are being introduced to extend surveillance provide logistical support and complement crewed aircraft forming part of the fleet air arm s evolving approach to naval aviation 131 149 aircraft edit further information list of active united kingdom military aircraft the fleet air arm operates fixed wing rotary wing and uncrewed aircraft in support of royal navy and royal marines operations its aircraft provide carrier strike air defence anti submarine warfare maritime surveillance and reconnaissance surface warfare amphibious assault tactical mobility and logistical support aircraft are operated from royal navy aircraft carriers warships shore bases and austere locations with training conducted through the united kingdom s integrated military flying training system 150 it uses the same aircraft designation system as the raf fixed wing aircraft edit f 35b lightning ii edit the fleet air arm operates the f 35b from the queen elizabeth class aircraft carriers for uk f 35b procurement see lockheed martin f 35 lightning ii procurement the f 35b lightning ii is the fleet air arm s principal fixed wing combat aircraft the short take off and vertical landing variant operates from the royal navy s queen elizabeth class aircraft carrier and provides fifth generation air combat air defence and strike capabilities its stealth sensors and networked systems allow it to conduct air to air and air to ground missions while also contributing to intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance 151 in january 2019 initial operating capability for the uk s f 35b lightning ii was announced 152 with 18 f 35b lightning iis jointly delivered to the uk 153 as of december 2022 26 aircraft were operational in the uk and based at raf marham these aircraft regularly deployed for operations on the queen elizabeth class aircraft carriers 154 155 156 fleet air arm f 35b lightning iis are operated as part of the joint royal navy royal air force lightning force 809 naval air squadron was re formed at raf marham in december 2023 as a frontline f 35b lightning ii squadron alongside the raf s 617 squadron the two squadrons comprise personnel from both services and operate the aircraft from land bases and the queen elizabeth class carriers 157 158 the f 35b lightning ii provides the principal fixed wing component of the uk s carrier strike capability in 2026 f 35b lightning iis of 809 naval air squadron operated from hms prince of wales during nato s ramstein flag exercise and subsequent carrier strike group operations including air defence and long range strike missions 159 160 while 47 f 35b aircraft including 3 or 4 based in the u s were in the u k inventory by march 2026 161 as the former u k defence secretary ben wallace had reported the raf and royal navy faced a considerable challenge in providing even the existing modest f 35b fleet with qualified pilots as of late 2022 there were only 30 qualified british pilots plus three exchange pilots from the united states and australia for the f 35 the average wait time for raf trainee typhoon and f 35 pilots after completing the military flying training system was approximately 11 and 12 months respectively a further gap of 68 weeks existed between completing basic flying training and beginning advanced fast jet training the resulting pilot shortage was a factor in delaying the ability to stand up the first fleet air arm squadron 809 squadron on a timely basis 162 in february 2023 the chief of the air staff air chief marshal sir mike wigston reported that the number of f 35 pilots had grown to 34 uk pilots with a further 7 to complete training by august 2023 163 however in 2025 the national audit office nao reported that a consistent shortage of pilots remained along with other shortages including of f 35 engineers 164 pilot to aircraft ratios were reported at about 1 1 which were argued by some to be far below the 1 3 to 1 5 considered healthy in most air forces 165 rotary wing aircraft edit today the largest section of the faa is the rotary wing section pilots designated for rotary wing service train under no 1 flying training school at raf shawbury 166 the school is a tri service organisation consisting of civilian and military instructors including naval instructors and a naval air squadron that take the student from basic flying through to more advanced flying such as instrument flying navigation formation and captaincy within the school 705 naval air squadron provides helicopter flight training the curriculum encompasses non procedural instrument flying fundamental night flying low level and formation flying winching and mountain flying since april 2018 705 nas has been training pilots and aircrew from all three branches of the military under the 2 maritime air wing 167 its aviators fly one of four types of helicopters merlin hm2 edit a merlin hm2 aircraft of 824 nas the agustawestland merlin hm2 is the fleet air arm s principal anti submarine warfare asw helicopter operated by the merlin helicopter force from royal naval air station culdrose it uses sonobuoys dipping sonar and other sensors to locate and track submarines and can employ sting ray torpedoes against underwater targets merlin hm2 also provides maritime surveillance and airborne early warning and control including the crowsnest system used to provide the carrier strike group with an extended radar picture beyond the horizon 168 merlin with crowsnest replaced the asac7 variant of the sea king with the first merlin hm2 test flight equipped with crowsnest was completed in april 2019 169 while crowsnest was deployed with the uk carrier strike group in 2021 it experienced operating challenges finally achieving initial operating capability in july 2023 and full operating capability in 2025 170 while all merlins in the royal navy will be equipped to operate crowsnest only ten kits for the system are being acquired it has been reported that initially five merlins will be equipped with crowsnest three of these being normally assigned to the high readiness aircraft carrier 171 in 2025 nine merlin hm2s from 820 squadron were specifically assigned to embark on hms prince of wales as part of the royal navy s carrier strike group deployment to the indo pacific region six of the merlins deployed in the asw role and three in the aew role 170 the merlin hm2 forms an important part of the air group embarked aboard the queen elizabeth class aircraft carrier where its anti submarine and airborne surveillance roles complement the f 35b merlin helicopters also operate from other royal navy ships and undertake maritime security search and rescue and other supporting tasks as required 172 merlin hc4 4a edit a merlin hc4 of commando helicopter force the merlin hc4 and hc4a are the fleet air arm s commando transport helicopters and are operated by the commando helicopter force in support of the royal marines and united kingdom commando force the aircraft provide tactical mobility between ships and shore air assault littoral ship to shore movement and the insertion and extraction of personnel and equipment they can also undertake joint personnel recovery deployed search and rescue non combatant evacuation counter narcotics and maritime intra theatre lift missions 173 845 and 846 naval air squadrons operate the merlin mk4 as frontline elements of the commando helicopter force with the aircraft designed to support amphibious operations and the royal marines developing littoral warfare capability 846 nas also houses the operational conversion flight responsible for training pilots aircrewmen and engineers to operate the merlin mk4 174 the faa received the merlin hc3 hc3a fleet from the raf replacing the commando sea king in september 2014 these have been marinised and updated to hc4s hc4as under the 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