809 Naval Air Squadron jets embark on aircraft carrier for the first time

[@philiprobinson5821]

It is great to see the Phoenix rising again. I worked on the switch from Navy to RAF Buccaneers 🏴‍☠️ back in the early 70’s. The 809 guys were a great bunch then as I am sure they are now. Onwards and upwards people.👍🥇

[@ashleyivins7510]

Awesome 👍🏻❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧

[@Adrian-qk2fn]

It's 46 years since 809 NAS last flew off the deck of a carrier with the Pennant Number R09.

[@vanroeling2930]

About time! If you build it, they will come…eventually! I thought the USMC F-35Bs were going to get permanent residents status on the QE class!

[@wildphil64]

Nice to see the “bullseye” as opposed to the star on the side of the aircraft. More of the same, please 🙏 ❤

[@B-A-L]

About bloody time too!

[@isthereanybodyoutthere9397]

Awesome machines and owe a debt to the Harrier.

[@rockinghorses]

Great to see.

[@peterhill603]

No squadron insignia?

[@cosmic4037]

Just in Time

[@jabsdrahm.3232]

I really hate the ski ramps, would have preferred to see the Eurofighters along with F35bs which only provide short distance cover

[@mrfrisky6501]

The Typhoons airframe means it could never operate off any type of carrier - it's not designed to take the forces involved

[@AA-xo9uw]

What's the range and payload of the F-35B compared to the Harrier II it replaced?

[@henryvagincourt4502]

It would be nice to see an 809 sq aircraft, it maybe a joint pool, but the Squadrons operate there own Squadron mark aircraft.

[@DMurph-y7t]

Crosswinds and heaving deck

[@AndrewinAus]

Agreed the deck and about 52 seconds in had me glad it was not me in the cockpit.

[@richgilmour5924]

Terrible choice of planes and ski ramp, it's like the 1970s

[@45dda]

Why? Catapult launching is far older, and a whole lot more expensive , what’s wrong with a ramp?​@@richgilmour5924

[@moodogco]

Are the markings on the f35b's the same as each others between the raf or naval air group squadron as they look same from the clips I've seen!!!

[@sjwilloughby-greene8214]

⚡❤❤❤⚡

[@Rajnish.Sharma.1]

Wow 😲🔥🔥🔥👌👌📡⚡⚡⚡⚡📡📡📡♥️♥️♥️💥👍

[@Fester_]

Nice.

[@iking95249]

Windy and rough seas.

[@lachlanchester8142]

Cheers for the forecast

[@Mishima505]

Has the FAA got a 617 squadron too?

[@Orbital_Inclination]

617 is RAF, but co-manned with RN personnel and currently commanded by a Royal Marine.

[@Mishima505]

@@Orbital_Inclination 🤯

[@45dda]

FAA is 809 sqn

[@bugattieb110ss]

Why reform 809 squadron? They're an ex-Buccaneer bomber squadron? Surely it would have been more appropriate to reform 892 NAS - a fighter squadron - for the F35? Even the bloody vertical stabilizer flash is part of the 892 squadron crest!

[@Orbital_Inclination]

Their motto is also 'Strike Unseen', excellent for an F-35

[@Oxley016]

Great to see, congratulations! Can't help but notice they don't half come down rough onto the deck on landing mind! Is that the computers controlling that?

[@DrawnInk1]

Lots of deck movement, you can see the horizon in the background.

[@Oxley016]

@@DrawnInk1 True, I just thought the flight computers would be able to slightly better compensate for such things with all the big talk people have been giving them.

[@Orbital_Inclination]

That's deliberate. The rate of descent is automated, the pilot just holds full forward stick in STOVL mode and the aircraft judges the rate of descent to remain within the tolerances of the landing gear, whilst landing as expeditiously as possible.

[@Oxley016]

@@Orbital_Inclination As I suspected, thanks. I guess it might look a bit rougher of a landing than it actually is then!

[@dallasclarke]

But the question that going through my mind, is what ship does Singapore expected their F-35Bs to fly normally from? And why didn't they just buy the F-35As?

[@SUP_Bigans]

You don't need a ship to fly from, F 35B could operate by land, by little platform or short runway, close to bunkers.

[@samcochrane5329]

Does anyone know how many jets are in each squadron?

[@Orbital_Inclination]

It varies depending on need, its not a fixed number, like many of the Typhoon squadrons that also routinely move jets around as needed.

[@andrewgreen7996]

We should have never got rid off the harrier jump jet 👍💯

[@Harrier-Guy]

I’ve been summoned…

[@Oxley016]

They are a bit old now, everybody else is replacing theirs with F-35s. We could have held on to ours for a bit longer though.

[@Bob10009]

So dumb 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@B-A-L]

We should have never done that ridiculous one-sided deal with the Americans to sell them the entire Harrier force for less than the price of one F-35B, but then again when did we ever get a good deal off the Americans?

[@AverageWagie2024]

We should still be using Spitfires then

[@philipdarbyshire3558]

Exactly how many F35’s are fully operational ? Not many I would say ! I thought each carrier wing was gonna have at least 24 !

[@Orbital_Inclination]

So far we have 34 of the ordered 48, and the budget to take us up to 72 is already with the MOD. There's no fixed size for embarked air wings, they're scaled as required, balanced against other taskings by 1 Group.

[@MartynT1974]

⁠@@Orbital_Inclination- actually, each carrier will support up to 36 F35Bs and up to 72 aircraft in total.

[@Orbital_Inclination]

@@MartynT1974 that's a theoretical maximum, but the reality is that they'll scale squadrons to meet operational demand

[@ashleyhardiman944]

Marham ello

[@AbdelkarimOucheikh]

The Marines & Navy first one in word who is ?

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

I'm sure the average RAF techie didn't sign up to work on an airfield that can potentially sink.

[@1chish]

No thats and thats probably why they are all Royal Navy crews. Having said that RAF ground staff worked on carriers in 1982....

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

@@1chish A stupid idea having an airfield that can sink.

[@1chish]

@@jjsmallpiece9234 Oh well you better get in touch with the Yanks who have twelve, the Chinese who have 1 1/2, the Indians who have two and the French who have one then ... Oh wait ... these airfields move ... 🤦‍♂

[@Orbital_Inclination]

​@@1chishRAF and RN personnel work on the carriers together

[@1chish]

@@Orbital_Inclination I am sure I said that ....

[@ashleyhardiman944]

809 ello. 617sqn ello

[@richsmart321]

I still think our ground crews need to be more "Top Gun"

[@FinsburyPhil]

No they definitely don't!

[@cedhome7945]

617 squadron on aircraft carrier's ? Learn something new all the time 🤔

[@Oxley016]

617 and 809 are the two F-35 squadrons!

[@cedhome7945]

@@Oxley016 thanks I have learnt something new

[@bytesback.]

Easier to get to the dams

[@Oxley016]

@@cedhome7945 You're quite welcome!

[@adrianrichards247]

Soon to be diverted to the gulf ?

[@ultradeepsea9487]

🐦‍🔥Phoenix🎉

[@captainbuggernut9565]

Is that it? 😂

[@raywhitehead730]

You could have retired several times, waiting to deploy.

[@margareteadie8941]

All that and we can't stop some rubber boats.

[@simonbird1973]

Best you start voting for Reform 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@Orbital_Inclination]

​@@simonbird1973why? For some pointless, zero-substance xenophobic policies with nothing to actually back them up?

[@Orbital_Inclination]

What exactly would we use the military for in that case, that civil agencies aren't already doing?

[@la_old_salt2241]

Sure you can, but it would kill a lot of people.

[@Orbital_Inclination]

​@@la_old_salt2241I fear that's what these people seem to want, even if they don't state it outright

[@heavyflakoverthetarget6275]

Just the two then?

[@Orbital_Inclination]

No, there are more than that visible in this video. 013, 016, 026 and 027 are all legible on the sides of the various aircraft, with more tethered in the back of shot

[@heavyflakoverthetarget6275]

Well that's a relief. For a moment there I thought we'd be really stuffed in the event of a war.

[@davidkendall1614]

0:33 How much freakin’ drag is that open door creating at take off? Huge air brake.

[@Orbital_Inclination]

Not much at low speed, and it channels air into the intake, increasing the thrust from the lift fan, which is way more important than any temporary drag increase

[@everypitchcounts4875]

​@@davidkendall1614Real Engineering explains the reason why it was designed like that on his video of the insane engineering of F-35B

[@davidkendall1614]

@@everypitchcounts4875 Thanks for the tip! I just watched that video. Somehow (I have no idea HOW, rewatching this video) I thought they had the door hinged on the forward side, not the aft side, blocking airflow. All on me 🙄

[@raywhitehead730]

Actually, the lift fan and door ; that was a design the Russians first had. The US actually paid the Russians for the engineering data! See about the Mig 21PD and the Yak 141.

[@raywhitehead730]

The F35, lift fan and door design as well as the rotating exhaust were originally, Russian designs. See about the Mig 21PD and the Yak 141. The Americans actually paid for the engineering data , to the Russians when first contemplating building this plan.

[@Longbyname]

They’re 617 squadron Lightenings of the RAF rather than 809 Royal Navy. Anyways, we move on…..

[@Oxley016]

I can't be certain about the jets but the personnel are certainly of both squadrons.

[@WestYorkshireCycling]

Did you not read the description - "The 809-badged jets are shared in a pool with other squadrons and jointly operated by both RN and RAF personnel." They are both based using the same aircraft at RAF Marham.

[@1chish]

F-35s are operated like the Harriers - the aircraft are not assigned to specific squadrons or ships. And as it happens RAF and RN pilots fly as required although they are attached to Squadrons. FunFact: RAF 617 Squadron was once commanded by a Royal Navy officer ...

[@Bob10009]

You can’t even spell Lightning…..and you’re wrong.

[@richardvernon317]

@@1chish Fun Fact 617's squadron's new CO is a Bootneck!!! The Royal Marines have a Quaffed Fighter Pilot!!

[@richgilmour5924]

Isn't there only 4 in this "squadron". Pathetic at best ,no ship to air missiles and not enough phanlax....it'll get sunk within minutes of any conflicts,the biggest poorly defended ship in naval history.

[@Orbital_Inclination]

Jets get moved between squadrons as required to meet op taskings

[@richgilmour5924]

@@Orbital_Inclination only in our joke of an armed forces,moving squadrons around is pathetic

[@Orbital_Inclination]

​@@richgilmour5924not really, jets get transferred between squadrons in many nations armed forces. Its a common sense way of balancing flying hours, airframe fatigue, serviceability etc

[@John-uu6jc]

Sellout

[@RAFASOP]

Crap plane. Should have had catapult launch system heavier load could have been carried.

[@Markus117d]

The F35b can take off with its maxed loadout from a QE class carrier, so what more would catapults add??

[@biddyboy1570]

​@@Markus117d the ability to lay siege to a medieval castle.

[@Oxley016]

@@Markus117d Nothing for F-35 as you are right about that. A catapult would allow us to operate a true fixed wing dedicated AWACS though.

[@Bob10009]

⁠@@Oxley016the RN will be getting a fixed wing dedicated AWACS without needing the enormously costly EMALS catapults.

[@Oxley016]

@@Bob10009 Is this the drone one? Will the radar be as powerful as on a full sized manned aircraft?