HMS Prince of Wales has welcomed a foreign visitor – a US Marine Corps F-35B – as Carrier Strike Group 25 prepares to take part in a massive multinational exercise. The USMC F-35B – the same type operated by 617 Squadron and 809 Naval Air Squadron – landed on the Royal Navy flagship to refuel, Forces News reports.
But this was no regular refuelling as the pilot stayed in the cockpit and kept the Pratt & Whitney engine running while the stealth jet was topped up.
This procedure is know as hot pit refuelling and enables an aircraft to be filled up more quickly, minimising turnaround time.
This capability is critical as it allows the jets to maximise their time in the air.
But the technique is not unique to RAF and Royal Navy F-35B crews as, back in January, US Air Force F-35A crew members were certified to carry out hot pit refuelling on F-15E Strike Eagles based at RAF Lakenheath.
The USMC Lighting – and its British brethren – will be taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the 11th and largest iteration of the exercise.
It will consist of a live-fire exercise and field training exercises, incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations.
