--- title: "F-35 Gets the “Pot Of Gold” Treatment After Landing in the UK for the First Time" description: "A long delayed step forward it is but a major triumph it is not." date: "2016-06-30" modified: "2016-06-30" authors: - name: "Tyler Rogoway" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/tyler-rogoway" url: "https://www.twz.com/4221/f-35-gets-the-pot-of-gold-treatment-after-landing-in-the-uk-for-the-first-time" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "F-35" - "F-35B" - "Fighters" - "Naval Aviation" - "News & Features" - "Royal Air Force" - "Stealth" - "United Kingdom" tags: - "air shows" - "F-35 Saga" - "KC-10" - "RAF" - "RAF Fairford" - "RIAT" - "Royal Navy" - "Tankers" - "uk" --- # F-35 Gets the “Pot Of Gold” Treatment After Landing in the UK for the First Time ![]() *www.twz.com* After a two year delay, the F-35B finally touched down in the UK. A trio of Joint Strike Fighters—two from the USMC and one in RAF badging—were “dragged” by a KC-10A Extender across the Atlantic, with the jets landing at RAF Fairford at around 8pm local time. No PR or marketing dweeb on the planet could have dreamed up a better backdrop for their arrival, as double rainbows framed the jets on the tarmac perfectly. ![gettyimages-543643868a.jpg]() **Matt Cardy/Getty Images** Undoubtedly, it was a good day for the UK Ministry of Defense and the F-35 program. The flight was delayed 48 hours due to issues with the KC-10 Extender that was scheduled to meet the F-35Bs at MCAS Beaufort before heading out across “the pond.” After the KC-10 was repaired, the flight made its way to the UK without any reported issues. Of course, when it comes to the F-35, [we often find out later how things *really* went.]() ![13559141\_10154319683539393\_3138140427316520250\_o.jpg]() *RAF Typhoons formate on the three-ship of F-35Bs as they approach the UK, *RAF** The jets will be displayed at the Royal International Air Tattoo on July 8 and 9, and then at the Farnborough Airshow the following week. One of the F-35Bs will reportedly perform a vertical landing for air show goers on a specially constructed aluminum pad at RAF Fairford. It is [widely known that F-35B’s super-heated and crushingly powerful exhaust]() has the ability to do major damage to runways and deck surfaces without elaborate fortifications. A USMC KC-130J was also sent to the UK to perform a mid-air refueling demo with the F-35B in tow. https://youtube.com/embed/G56WP\_PRuVk The [F-35B is arguably the most relevant and promising Joint Strike Fighter variant](). While at the same time it's short-takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) requirement dictated the design of the F-35 overall, handicapping its carrier-based and conventional counterparts in the process. Only about 15% of the Joint Strike Fighters slated to be produced will be the STOVL F-35B variant. The Royal Navy and RAF are hoping to procure 138 of the jets in total over the coming decades. By 2023, the MoD plans to [have 42 of the jets ready by 2023, with 24 being used to equip the Royal Navy’s new carrier, the *HMS* *Queen Elizabeth*, and 18 will be used for training](). ![bae.jpg]() **BAE Systems** Although the successful arrival of the F-35 in the UK is a good step forward [for the troubled program](), it is being treated absurdly by some aviation fans out there, bashing F-35 “haters” for criticizing the program in the past. First off, calling critics of the program “haters” is ridiculous. It is a very complex issue, with many facets, and using rival sports team-like labels is a huge oversimplification of a clearly debatable issue. They might as well also call [the Pentagon’s head tester](), [POGO](), the [GAO]() the [Secretary of the Air Force]() and many other official organizations that have provided data and highlighted the shortcomings of the program, and [the concept of concurrency that it was built on](), haters as well. https://youtube.com/embed/52JXSUFxmGo Second, crossing the Atlantic in an amazing accomplishment if you are living in the late 1920s or early 1930s. For the most advanced fighter jet in the world*—one that has been flying for a decade* and is many years behind schedule *and* cost tens of billions of dollars to develop this far—doing so is a long overdue step forward for the program—nothing more. Originally, after years of prior delays, the flight was supposed to happen occur years ago but [was cancelled after an F-35 burned on the runway due to an engine fire](). News that the [program had rescheduled the mission to this summer was released only early this year](). ![gettyimages-543643754a.jpg]() **Matt Cardy/Getty Images** In the end, the F-35 program and the MoD deserve a day in the sun for finally getting the F-35 across the Atlantic to the UK. But the reality is that after ten years of flying and piles of cash, the idea that simply ferrying an F-35B from the US to the UK is some sort of massive triumph is as much a sign of just how low the bar has fallen for this program than how far it has come. *Contact the author at [tyler@thedrive.com]()* ![rafa.jpg]() **RAF/Crown Copyright** ## Author Tyler’s passion is the study of military technology, strategy, as well as foreign policy, and he has fostered a dominant voice on those topics in the defense and national security space. Tyler was the creator of the hugely popular defense site *Foxtrot Alpha* before developing *TWZ*, which he continues to lead as the Editor-In-Chief to this day. ### Author social links [Twitter]()