Britain has deployed a number of F-35B fighter jets to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, according to open-source flight tracking data, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.

The aircraft departed RAF Marham in eastern England and were supported by RAF Voyager aerial refuelling tankers during the transit. The deployment adds to the UK’s existing air presence at Akrotiri, which has long served as a key operating base for British military activity in the region. It is understood that the new deployment of capabilities is focused on defensive measures, mainly detecting and defeating airborne threats around the base.

The movement of the F-35Bs was identified through monitoring of publicly available flight data by our senior editor, Jon.

RAF Akrotiri has built up into a notably busy operating base, hosting a mix of frontline fast jets and supporting enablers. The current footprint seems to include a sizeable Typhoon presence alongside a smaller detachment of F-35B Lightning aircraft, backed by Voyager tanker support.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the UK Defence Journal:

“We regularly review the capability and force protection of our overseas bases, including the Sovereign Base Areas. This recent movement of additional capabilities is part of our ongoing work to support security and stability in the Middle East.”

The deployment comes as the United States has also increased airlift activity into the region. Publicly available flight tracking also indicates a surge in U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster movements into multiple bases across the Middle East, including in Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

RAF Akrotiri itself is one of Britain’s most important overseas military facilities and has been used for operations across the Middle East for more than a decade, including air missions against Islamic State under Operation Shader.

George Allison
George Allison
George Allison is the founder and editor of the UK Defence Journal. He holds a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and specialises in naval and cyber security topics. George has appeared on national radio and television to provide commentary on defence and security issues. Twitter: @geoallison
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14 COMMENTS

    • A small part of the UK’s F35B fleet has deployed to a land base with a tarmac runway.

      Why would you send a carrier with all the protection it needs when you have a perfectly good airbase there?

      We would need to send QEC, T45, T23 and tanker at minimum. ATM the biggest issue would be the T23 as there are 3 T45’s at various levels of readiness.

      Why disrupt the normal training cycle ‘because’ we can and there are plenty enough F35B in the UK to send a CSG somewhere else where there isn’t a nice airbase that come complete with temperate climate etc. So why not let the aircrew be rotated through a nice location that people pay money to go an visit?

  2. Also seeing Chinooks In Jordan.

    (I’m not actually in Jordan, I’ve never even been there, nor have I ever Met Her, just sayin)

    • The Chinnys do regularly go to Jordan and Oman for desert training.

      The sand in Jordan is almost powdery in consistency, so gets and sticks everywhere. Whereas a lot of Oman’s is really gritty.

      I have been to Jordan, but never in, however did meet her in Bosnia, when she was part of the CSE circus (showing my age now).

    • Halfwit you seem to be sniffing around a lot of places where the military are located of late, while notably denying there is any significance in it, methinks you doth protest your innocence too much my friend. Let’s put it this way if this were the Traitors I suspect you might be banished. But don’t worry I won’t tell a soul, but so as you know, I am happy to be paid in roubles or Yen wink, wink😉.

  3. If they are there for defence we better insure some form of ballistic missile protection on the base. They are will within range of Iranian ballistic missiles. No doubt Israel’s arrow 3 will provide some protection but the base needs some form of terminal protection along the lines of Patriot or Aster 30.

    We should really have a T45 out there now. The US is pretty cocky, its is use to bombing people and having no one shoot back but with modern ballistic missiles and drones, even less capable adversaries like Iran can strike back. America has many Gucci irreplaceable aircraft and if you look at places like Diego Garcia they are rarely under concrete protection and have next to no GBAD.

    Great pride comes before a fall.

    The same cocky attitude prevailing in Sunday morning in the 7th of December 1941.

  4. Oh FFS just keep out of this, its not our problem and it’s no direct security risk to us. We don’t need to motivate another generation of terrorists to target us. And we can’t even properly defend our own corner of the world as it is without wasting scarce resources on a foreign problem half the world away.

    • Iran does call US ‘The Great Satan’ and UK ‘The Little Satan’ so we are in it wether we want to be or not.

      Sending the F35B is actually quite interesting as, on the face of it, they don’t have the weapons fit to be of much use….clearly they do have something….and if they are being used as sensors then they must be networked to the effectors on Typhoon? They won’t be reading out coordinates, in clipped tones, over RT.

      • We’re only the little Satan because we’ve been happy to be US’s poodle for too long. The US don’t deserve our support.

  5. A sensible, proportionate precaution I think.
    We are defending the SBA just in case, with what’s available. Why would some find fault with that?

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