Hobby Master Archive

The British forces took part in “Operation Achillean” as a multi-unit deployment that operated from the North Sea to the Mediterranean to show the strong bonds they have with NATO. The Royal Navy portion consisted of nine warships including HMS Queen Elizabeth with No. 617 “Dam Busters” onboard. The 617 was reformed in preparation to fly the F-35. One of the aircraft was F-35B ZM159/025 c/n 2BK.0025 U.S. serial 169931 that began flight testing in the U.S. in October 2021 and joined 617 Squadron February 15, 2022.