219K views · 3.6K reactions | Designed to bring the RAF in to the...

Watch as an F-35B Lightning multi-role combat aircraft lands on a new Vertical Landing Pad at RAF Marham for the first time. Three new pads are among £250m of upgrades to the Norfolk station, the new permanent home of 617 Squadron. Vertical landing will be used in due course to land aboard the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. In addition to its short take-off and vertical landing capability, the Lightning’s unique combination of stealth, cutting-edge radar, sensor technology and elec

55K views · 1.4K reactions | RAF Lightning pilots conducted the first air-to-air refuelling sortie, where all aircraft have taken off from the UK, over the North Sea this week. The Lightning aircraft from 617 Squadron based at RAF Marham refuelled from an RAF Brize Norton Voyager. | Royal Air Force | Facebook

Imagine this: It's the 1970s, and the cold war is at its peak. The RAF Lightning F.MK53, a jet so fast, it could reach speeds over 1,500 mph, was Britain’s answer to the growing threat in the skies. One of its most legendary moments came during a top-secret intercept mission. The F.MK53 was scrambled to intercept an unknown aircraft flying over British airspace. With only minutes to spare, the Lightning blasted off from its base, reaching 20,000 feet in just two minutes. But here's the kicker: t