MOD awards £160m contract to prepare Lakenheath for US F-35

F-35 unit & base selection, delivery, activation
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by marsavian » 19 Nov 2018, 22:03

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mod- ... r-us-f-35s

The MOD has awarded a contract worth £160m to Kier VolkerFitzpatrick to deliver infrastructure to ready RAF Lakenheath for two squadrons of US F-35s. USAF 48th Fighter Wing Commander, Colonel Will Marshall, said:
This is an exciting milestone for the 48th Fighter Wing and for all our partners. We’re transforming RAF Lakenheath together, and the work we do today is critical to the future security of the United States, the United Kingdom and the NATO Alliance.


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by aussiebloke » 20 Nov 2018, 23:39

Just a few more details:

"The F-35 Beddown Programme ..... involves construction and renovation of a number of buildings and infrastructure projects on the Suffolk site, including a six-bay flight simulator, an aircraft maintenance unit, new hangars, and 42 aircraft parking aprons."
https://www.kier.co.uk/media/news-relea ... akenheath/


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by spazsinbad » 25 Dec 2020, 11:50

This post is about F-35s at LAKENHEATH so don't be misled by the headline (I have been told NEVER to change Headings).
In Europe, US Air Force Brings Back Cold War Mobility Concept
23 Dec 2020 Patrick Tucker

"...The nearby fighter wing at Lakenheath is also adapting to better face off against Russia. The first F-35 stealth fighter jet is to arrive in November, with 53 more to follow by the end of 2023. They will join F-15s that have been flying missions into the Middle East against adversaries that, for the most part, lacked high-end radar.

Facilities to house the new squadrons are currently going up around the base, including a large hanger [HANGAR YOU AVIATION CRETIN! :-) ] bay that will hold six F-35 simulators.

The simulation center will play a big role in preparing future F-35 pilots in Europe, in part because there are so few places to fly realistic training missions with the highly-advanced, secretive aircraft. “For Europe, realistically, the best place to get that training is here in our sims,” said Lt. Col. Ajax Syswerda, 48th Fighter Wing director of staff. We will obviously fly the jet a lot and train against representations of that. But to put up the numbers of adversaries you want to fight against… the best place to do that and way less expensive is in the sims.”

So while the future of command and control will be more mobile, some things, like advanced training, stay in one place."

Source: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2 ... pt/171007/


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by doge » 14 Jan 2021, 15:59

Choices from 5 New Name. 8)
https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/new ... n-1.658336
New F-35 squadron at Lakenheath to be nicknamed soon
By JENNIFER H. SVAN | STARS AND STRIPES Published: January 13, 2021
The 48th Fighter Wing is closing in on a nickname for its new squadron of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets.
From 700 different suggestions submitted this fall, a team designated by the wing chose five finalists: Archangels, Sabres, Sentinels, Swordsmen and Valkyries, base officials said this week.
The name will be given to the 495th Fighter Squadron, formerly the 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron, when it’s reactivated later this year.

To help with the final selection, the wing conducted a poll from Dec. 30 to Jan. 6 over RAF Lakenheath’s Facebook page and received more than 4,000 votes, said Capt. Marie Ortiz, a wing spokeswoman.
The decision, expected within 30 days, is now with the squadron and wing leadership, she said in an email Tuesday.
The wing described the significance of each name as follows: Archangels — opposite of the 493rd Fighter Squadron, an F-15C/D squadron at Lakenheath nicknamed “The Grim Reapers”; Sabres and Swordsmen — derived from the sword on the former 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron unit patch; Sentinels — sentry protectors, standing watch; and Valkyries — in Norse mythology, a Valkyrie is a female figure that chooses who lives or dies in battle.
More than 300 comments were posted along with the Facebook poll, with some offering up strong opinions.

“Archangel reminds me of that guy in a white suit with a walking suit and an eye patch in Airwolf so you can’t really call yourselves that! Swordsman gets my vote,” said one comment.
But someone else pointed out that the Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 32, which flies the F/A-18F Super Hornet out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va., is nicknamed the “Fighting Swordsmen.”
Some commenters gave the nod to the Valkyries. “They already have a theme song,” a commenter said, likely referring to Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” which was featured in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now.
Sentinels also received support: “They always keep watch! Just like our Air Force should!” said one comment.

The F-35As headed to Lakenheath sometime this fall will be the first U.S. Air Force fifth generation jets to be based overseas.
The former 495th Tactical Fighter squadron, called the “Thundervarks,” flew F-111 Aardvarks out of Lakenheath in England during the Cold War.
“We’re looking for an updated name for an updated airframe,” Master Sgt. Matthew Plew, a 48th Fighter Wing spokesman, told Stars and Stripes in September. “‘Thundervarks’ doesn’t really have the same stick” for an F-35 squadron.
The new F-35 squadron will have about 24 aircraft and 50 personnel, with another 600 or so associated with its aircraft maintenance unit, base officials said. Lakenheath is expected to eventually host two F-35 squadrons.



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