Two U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets diverted to RAF Lossiemouth on 21 August after one aircraft reported irregular landing gear indications, according to a U.S. Navy spokesperson.
The aircraft were operating from USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), currently deployed in northern European waters.
The second jet accompanied the affected aircraft as a precaution, and both landed safely at the Moray airbase. One returned to the carrier later that evening. The other remains at Lossiemouth undergoing repairs.
“Out of an abundance of caution the aircraft diverted to RAF Lossiemouth,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement. “Maintainers and parts were delivered via a C2 Greyhound on August 25 to repair the aircraft for return to Gerald R. Ford.”
An RAF contact familiar with the incident told UK Defence Journal the event posed no operational risk.
“Every modern fast jet has occasional systems warnings that need to be checked out on the ground,” they said. “What’s notable here is how smoothly it was handled between the U.S. Navy and RAF Lossiemouth. It’s interesting from a joint operations and airbase support perspective, but not particularly serious in aviation terms.”
RAF Lossiemouth, one of the UK’s key Quick Reaction Alert stations and home to both Typhoon and Poseidon aircraft, has increasingly supported U.S. and NATO partner operations as Allied forces expand their presence in the High North and North Atlantic.
The United States Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, has begun flight operations off the UK coast as part of its European deployment with Carrier Strike Group Twelve. The strike group entered the North Sea via the Strait of Dover on 17 August, marking the first U.S. carrier transit through the Channel since 2024. The group includes the destroyers USS Mahan, USS Winston S. Churchill, and USS Bainbridge, operating under U.S. 6th Fleet.
“Gerald R. Ford’s agile transit through the Strait of Dover between England and France is a testament to our power projection capability that supports peace through strength,” said Captain Dave Skarosi, the ship’s commanding officer. A Navy statement added, “The inherent flexibility and scalable maritime force that GRFCSG provides to the NATO Alliance is unrivaled.”
Captain Mark Lawrence, commodore of Destroyer Squadron Two, said the transit demonstrated collective resolve: “Our surface force’s transit into the North Sea demonstrates our resolve to strengthen peace, stability, and deterrence across the European continent.”
The U.S. Navy has not confirmed when the grounded F/A-18 will return to carrier operations, but the arrival of dedicated maintenance personnel and parts suggests it may soon be airworthy again.
#1
I doubt that.
On a side note, has the F35b that had to divert to Japan returned to PoW?
The pilot probably hopes not!
Even if it is in Japan it can do useful things and pick up the return leg.
It didn’t have to “ divert “to Japan . It was already there having detached from the CSG to carry out land based exercises with the Japanese .
If the USN are interested, I know a man who knows a man who can sell them some gear.
Doubt it will get the coverage of when one of our F-35s has to divert…
Indeed, nothing from MSM as yet..
ruzbots will be along shortly, or maybe not given that their only carrier Admiral K is off for scrap. Clearly CSGs and their ability to project power isn’t important after all… lol
UK carrier plane diverts to land based strip in India front page news, US carrier aircraft diverts to land in the UK and no mention from the main stream media.
🤔
Foreign bots push so much s**t about the F35 because they are terrified of what it can do to them and western media just laps it up like useful idiots or out right traitors.
The F35 has easily the best safety record by a massive margin of any fighter jet that has ever entered service and it’s priced lower than legacy aircraft which is an amazing feat once thought impossible.
Yes, but I think there’s more.
As India is no ally, is friends with Russia, and the 35 has classified tech sitting in a country we have no control in.
Not an ideal situation.
A bit different to a USN F18 now at an RAF Station mate….at the base of a close ally in a NATO country that the US itself has classified assets in.
But I’m sure you’re right that there are other agendas at play as well, as well as our national pass time of putting ourselves down and making every mishap seem like a national disaster.
F35 was none of those, but people, including me, were rightly concerned at its security.
Remember the wacky races when one ended up in the Med, to stop Russia China getting there first?
You’d think sat at a location we have no control over far easier, compared to the bottom of the sea. I know I would.
The time sat there was also a cause for comment, for right or wrong.
FMS to india are a strategic error as nobody will buy RF compromised systems.
USAF and USMC F35s become useless billion dollar hanger queen’s when RF can defeat them.
Alliance partners will stop buying compromised systems so American suppliers will fall.
#47 has no idea how this works!
“india is no ally”
its despicable that a proud independent democracy has no respect for the sovereign democratic nation of Ukraine and is happy to profit from their suffering.
Zero shared values just transactional ‘business’.
No support for the international rule of law and UN Charter so india don’t call us with your CCP dictatorship issues…
Secondary Sanctions are fully justified so no more indian goods and services.