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structure of conventional jet aviation for a smaller more flexible v stol force capable of operating from light carriers and providing air defence and strike support in expeditionary operations transition and the return of carrier fixed wing aviation edit four sea harrier fa 2s from 801 squadron at the beginning of the 21st century the fleet air arm continued to operate the sea harrier fa2 providing the royal navy with a dedicated fleet air defence fighter capability in april 2000 the royal navy and royal air force harrier forces were brought together as joint force harrier with the sea harrier fa2 operating alongside the raf s harrier gr7 in a joint force the sea harrier remained the force s principal air defence aircraft while the gr7 provided ground attack and reconnaissance capabilities 105 in 2002 the ministry of defence announced that joint force harrier would migrate to an all harrier gr force concentrating investment on the gr7 and its planned upgrade to gr9 standard the sea harrier fa2 was to be withdrawn by 2006 because of increasing obsolescence and the significant investment and technical risk that would have been required to maintain its effectiveness the change shifted the emphasis of fleet air arm fixed wing aviation from dedicated fleet air defence towards carrier based offensive strike operations 105 the final sea harrier aircraft were withdrawn from royal navy service by march 2006 ending the fleet air arm s dedicated fixed wing fleet air defence fighter capability 106 harrier gr7 the fleet air arm nevertheless retained a fixed wing combat role through its participation in joint force harrier operating the harrier gr7 and gr9 alongside raf personnel the upgraded gr9 provided an enhanced expeditionary strike capability and could employ precision guided weapons from land or sea in 2007 elements of the royal navy harrier force were consolidated into the naval strike wing which operated as part of joint force harrier until the retirement of the harrier 107 108 the strategic defence and security review 2010 brought an abrupt end to this phase of fleet air arm fixed wing aviation the harrier was withdrawn from service ahead of the introduction of the f 35b lightning ii and the final royal navy and raf harrier flights took place in december 2010 109 the withdrawal left the royal navy without an operational fixed wing combat aircraft capable of operating from its aircraft carriers creating a capability gap while the queen elizabeth class aircraft carrier s and f 35b were developed the return of carrier fixed wing aviation was centred on the f 35b the short take off and vertical landing variant of the joint strike fighter the aircraft represented a fundamental change from the sea harrier and harrier combining stealth advanced sensors networked systems and precision strike capabilities in a fifth generation multi role combat aircraft royal navy personnel were incorporated into the joint lightning force alongside the royal air force with the aircraft operating from raf marham when not embarked aboard the queen elizabeth class carriers the procurement plan was for a force of 138 f 35 lightning ii with the intention to be operated by both the raf and faa from a common aircraft pool in the same manner as the joint force harrier 110 in 2013 an initial cadre of royal air force and royal navy pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel were assigned to the united states marine corps marine fighter attack training squadron vmfat 501 part of the united states air force s training unit the 33rd fighter wing at eglin air force base florida for training on the f 35b lightning ii and 809 naval air squadron was designated to be the first faa squadron to operate the f 35b lightning ii based at raf marham 111 the restoration of british carrier fixed wing aviation began with the introduction of the queen elizabeth class carriers in 2018 hms queen elizabeth sailed to the united states for the first british carrier trials of the f 35b lightning ii with the aircraft conducting short take offs and vertical landings from the carrier s flight deck 112 f 35b lightning ii in 2021 f 35b lighting iis operating from hms queen elizabeth conducted the first british combat missions from an aircraft carrier since the retirement of the harrier supporting operation shader against islamic state forces in iraq and syria 113 the fleet air arm s role in the lightning force was strengthened by the re formation of 809 naval air squadron in december 2023 as a front line f 35b lightning ii squadron it became the second uk front line f 35b lightning ii unit alongside no 617 squadron raf with personnel drawn from both the royal navy and royal air force 114 in july 2024 809 nas generated its first independently conducted f 35b lighting ii sortie with the aircraft flown maintained dispatched and recovered solely by 809 squadron personnel 115 in october that year 809 squadron embarked on hms prince of wales marking the return of a royal navy fast jet squadron to a royal navy aircraft carrier for the first time in almost 15 years 116 by 2025 fleet air arm fixed wing aviation had developed into a joint fifth generation carrier capability centred on the f 35b lightning ii during operation highmast hms prince of wales deployed with f 35b lightning iis from 809 nas and 617 squadron with the deployment intended to demonstrate the ability of the two front line squadrons to operate together as a carrier strike force and achieve full operating capability for the uk lightning force 117 the deployment also demonstrated the integration of fleet air arm fast jets with allied carrier and air forces across the mediterranean and indo pacific regions in 2026 809 nas continued to expand its operational role as part of the royal navy s carrier strike capability f 35b lightning iis operated from hms prince of wales participating in exercise ramstein flag 26 with royal navy aircraft conducting sorties over northern europe and finland in support of nato air operations 118 the fleet air arm s fixed wing combat capability had consequently evolved from the sea harrier s specialised fleet air defence role through the harrier s expeditionary strike role and an eight year carrier fast jet gap into a smaller but technologically advanced and highly integrated fifth generation carrier force modernisation and consolidation of naval helicopters edit helicopters had become important combat platforms since the second world war initially used in the search and rescue role they were later developed for anti submarine warfare and troop transport during the 1956 suez crisis they were used to land royal marine commando forces the first time this had ever been done in combat 119 the fleet air arm entered the 21st century with its rotary wing capability centred on the sea king and lynx but the introduction of the merlin helicopter brought a significant increase in the capability of its heavyweight maritime helicopters the merlin hm1 entered operational service around 2000 progressively assuming the principal anti submarine warfare role from the sea king its greater range endurance payload and sensor capability allowed it to operate as an integral part of the royal navy s anti submarine and maritime forces while the subsequent merlin hm2 upgrade introduced a substantially modernised avionics and mission system from 2014 merlin hm2 operated from a range of royal navy and royal fleet auxiliary vessels including the queen elizabeth class aircraft carrier type 23 frigates and type 45 destroyers providing anti submarine warfare and maritime surveillance capabilities 120 commando helicopter force merlin hc3 3a merlin also transformed the fleet air arm s support of the royal marines following the transfer of the commando helicopter force s merlin mk3 force to the royal navy 845 and 846 naval air squadrons progressively replaced the sea king mk4 with merlin bringing the heavyweight helicopter capability of the fleet air arm s maritime and amphibious forces onto a common platform the introduction of the merlin mk4 from 2019 provided an aircraft specifically adapted for amphibious operations including a folding rotorhead and tail for shipboard use and improved avionics the type became the principal heavy lift and troop carrying helicopter of the commando helicopter force supporting royal marines operations from ships and land bases 121 122 the fleet air arm s lighter shipborne helicopter capability was meanwhile modernised through the replacement of the lynx by the wildcat hma2 the first wildcats were delivered to 815 naval air squadron in 2016 beginning the final transition from the lynx which had served with the royal navy for more than four decades before its withdrawal in march 2017 designed principally for operation from frigates destroyers and royal fleet auxiliary vessels wildcat combined a digital cockpit with modern sensors and weapons systems providing a more capable platform for anti surface warfare reconnaissance force protection and maritime surveillance while retaining the ability to operate from the small flight decks of the royal navy s surface combatants 123 124 the adoption of merlin and wildcat resulted in a smaller but more technologically sophisticated fleet air arm helicopter force merlin became the heavyweight maritime and commando platform providing anti submarine warfare maritime surveillance airborne surveillance and control troop transport and amphibious support while wildcat provided the principal helicopter capability embarked on the royal navy s frigates and destroyers the two types also formed the core of the commando helicopter force with merlin providing heavy lift and wildcat providing battlefield reconnaissance and armed support by the 2020s this structure had replaced the larger and more varied sea king and lynx fleets with a more specialised force designed around networked sensors modern weapons and the ability to deploy aviation capability across the royal navy s surface fleet and amphibious forces 125 126 royal naval volunteer reserve air branch edit the royal naval volunteer reserve air branch rnvr a was formed in 1937 with training beginning in 1938 when 33 aircrew were on its books 127 by october 1945 8 000 fleet air arm pilots and observers were serving as reservists in 1952 the rnvr a comprised 12 squadrons grouped into five dedicated air divisions scottish northern midland southern and channel each numbering roughly 1 000 personnel and including pilots observers air engineering and intelligence officers fighter direction officers and maintenance personnel the air branch was disbanded in 1957 following the 1956 defence review the government subsequently explained that the decision reflected financial and manpower considerations despite the branch retaining an operational role 128 in 1958 the royal naval reserve and royal naval volunteer reserve were amalgamated with the title royal naval reserve retained for the unified organisation 129 museums edit the fleet air arm has a museum near rnas yeovilton hms heron in somerset england at which many of the great historical aircraft flown by the service are on display along with aircraft from other sources there is also a fleet air arm museum inside the museum of transport technology in auckland new zealand on display there is a full size replica fairey swordfish along with historic items and memorabilia historic flight edit until march 2019 the fleet air arm had responsibility for the royal navy historic flight a heritage unit of airworthy aircraft representing the history of aviation in the royal navy the historic flight was disbanded on 31 march 2019 with responsibility for maintaining and operating the aircraft transferred to navy wings a charitable body that also runs the fly navy heritage trust 130 the faa today edit the fleet air arm is the aviation branch of the royal navy providing air power for carrier strike maritime warfare and support to the royal marines its aircraft 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 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