USAF, Highway landing. F-35A fighters during military exercises in Finland,NATO - YouTube - MIL 3010

This is practise for operating in austere conditions.It simulates high intensity warfighting.Not only can the U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter land on highways-it can also take off from them and be refueled on them.For its part,the Finnish Air Force operates the Boeing F/A-18 C-D Hornet fighter until the F-35A can be phased in.Such drills build confidence between NATO Allies,improving interoperability in the Arctic Region.These f-35As are from RAF Lakenheath,England,where Great Britain is reconstituting its Boeing B61-12 tactical nuclear weapon deterrent facilities in light of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,commercial documents indicate.These drills seem to have taken place in the summer.*Lockheed Martin (LMT),Boeing (BA)

LIVE US AIR FORCE F-15 & F-35 ACTION 48TH FIGHTER WING • RAF LAKENHEATH ENGLAND 21.06.24 - YouTube

The aircraft are the nuclear-capable U.S. Air Force 48th Fighter Wing Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle fighter.The base's nuclear storage mission ws terminated in 2008 in the belief that the Cold War was over.Yet the first Russian invasion of Ukraine with little green men in 2014 and the second full-on war against Ukraine launched in February 2022 has caused NATO to revive the nuclear storage mission.Documents show a large underground surety dormitory for storing the Boeing B61-12 nuclear bomb is under construction,along with ballistic-sheathed shelters for Air Force Security Forces.*Boeing (BA),Lockheed Martin (LMT)*The B61-12 has an adjustable range of missions,from tactical nuclear to thermonuclear kilotonnes.*The UK will neither confirm nor deny the project.

Deterrence and Defence:F-35As Fully Certified to Carry Out Nuclear Mission

According to Air Force Magazine,the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is now fully certified to carry out nuclear strike missions with the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb.The B61-12 has a variable yield ranging from tactical nuclear strike at 0.3 kilotonnes to strategic nuclear strike at 50 kilotonnes,which is several times more powerful than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.Included on the B61-12 are a satellite and inertial navigation module,as well as a tail section enabling flight precision.Certification is a two-step process:nuclear design certification and operational certification.The nuclear design certification was completed on 4 October 2021,after completing the first full weapon certification and nuclear design certification.The aim is to ascertain whether the weapon can be credibly delivered.To find that out,two F-35As dropped Joint Test Assemblies (JTAs),or mockups of the B61-12,at the Tonopah Test Range,Nevada.The first operational certification was completed on 12 October 2023.Said Air Combat Command Deputy Director for Strategic Deterrence LTCOL Douglas A. Kabel:It makes our potential adversaries think more about their game plan before enacting it.It can get closer to (referring to the F-35A stealth fighter),further inside,a combat area that may otherwise be impossible for non-stealth assets.*The F-35A is the first stealth fighter to be certified for the nuclear mission.*The operational certification involves training and certification of maintenance and air crews at Wing locations where the F-35A nuclear mission is based.Approval means that the US or NATO Allies have a fighter that can strike targets with tactical nuclear weapons inside hostile territory without being detected.*The B61-12 can also be carried by B-2 Spirit strategic bombers;F-15E Strike Eagle fighters;F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon fighters;and Pannavia Tornado multirole fighters of Germany and Italy.Both Germany and Italy are transitioning to F-35As.F-35As have two special switches to enable the nuclear mission:a nuclear consent switch in the cockpit;and a mission select switch in the F-35A internal weapon bay,which can carry two B61-12s.Now that the F-35A has been fully certified,the aircraft is a Dual-Capable Aircraft (DCA) eligible for both NATO conventional and nuclear strike missions.The nuclear strike capability is overseen by the NATO Nuclear Committee as part of the nuclear sharing programme,which is a dual key arrangement regarding the B61-12 agreed by the US and NATO Allies Belgium,Germany,the Netherlands,Turkey,which have nuclear bomb storage on their air bases,and soon to be the UK once again at RAF Lakenheath,England,once the operational certification is obtained-operational certification is an air base by air base process.The bombs were removed from RAF Lakenheath in 2008 as the Cold War was deemed over.Ironically,Russia invaded the Republic of Georgia that same year,seizing the regions of Ingushetia and South Ossetia by force.Reportedly projects are underway to create a surety dormitory,or B61-12 storage facility,and a ballistic-sheathed facility for Air Force Security Forces.The surety dormitory is slated for completion by February 2026,according to public records.Two US Air Force F-35A squadrons are forward deployed to RAF Lakenheath and would be eligible to carry out the nuclear mission,pending operational certification.*As a matter of policy,air bases will neither confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons.Only the F-35A varient of the Lightning II has been certified for the nuclear mission at this point.*Lockheed Martin (LMT)

Cold War 2:US to Return Nukes to UK Air Base - plus what the Baltic States are implementing

According to research conducted by BBC News and the British news outlet The Telegraph,the US will soon be restarting its nuclear mission at RAF Lakenheath,England.The original mission was terminated in 2008 when Cold War tensions seemed to be easing.Ironically,that same year Russia invaded and occupied two Republic of Georgia territories,South Ossetia and Ingushetia,where it maintains a military presence to this day.In 2014,Russia-backed militants took over two Ukrainian Oblasts,Luhansk and Donetsk.On 30 September 2022,following its brutal invasion of Ukraine that February,Russia annexed these areas,and also annexed two cities,Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.There are no formal boundaries to these annexations.Russia had previously annexed Crimea,Ukraine on 18 March 2014.*The return of B61 thermonuclear bombs to RAF Lakenheath is reportedly imminent.Today,the West is gripped with the prospect that Russia and Belarus may lash out at NATO.There is uncertainty about Russia's and Belarus' intentions,and anxiety about the unpredictability of these adversaries.NATO is consequently processing an upgrade of its nuclear deterrent forces,which are currently assigned to air bases in Belgium,Germany,Italy,the Netherlands and Turkiye.This programme involves the US nuclear sharing programme that is a dual key arrangement,with both the US and the host NATO Ally having to sign off on nuclear missions.The latest version of the B61 is the B61-12.It is calibrated to a wide range of kilotonnages,up to a level amounting to several Hiroshima blasts,but also has many levels far below that blast magnitude.The documents obtained by the BBC include several contracts for facility construction at Lakenheath,including troop shelters needed for the imminent nuclear mission.A guardhouse for US Air Force Security Forces is to have ballisitic shielding.Other contracts awarded are for a Surety Dormitory,or nuclear weapons bunker,and hardened ballistic security shelters with bulletproof glass that can stop a .30 caliber projectile.Predictably,there have been anti-nuclear protests just outside Lakenheath.*The nuclear mission has been assigned to two squadrons of US Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters deployed to Lakenheath as part of the 48th Fighter Wing.The F-35As were flight tested with the B61-12.The mission involves training for,and,if necessary,executing the nuclear mission.*Both the US and the UK declined to confirm or deny whether there are nuclear weapons at Lakenheath.*Meanwhile,the Baltic States are fortifying their borders with Russia and Belarus as a first line of defence.For its part,Estonia is building a massive complex of 600 bunkers along its border with Russia,each bunker to house up to six troops.Russia says it will respond to Finland's hardening of its border with Russia,as well as to the renuclearisation of RAF Lakenheath.Most recently,some NATO leaders have expressed concern about the security of the rear areas of NATO,such as those deep inside Germany,whose Bundeswehr is the second largest military in NATO.These need to be better protected as well,not just the Eastern Flank.

USAF Lockheed F-35A Jets Arrive at RAF Lakenheath, England. 18 December 2021

USAF creates first overseas F-35A squadron

B-2 Spirits Deployed to Iceland

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from the US Air Force's 131st and 509th Bomb Wings have deployed to Keflavik Air Base,Iceland from Whiteman AFB,Missouri in support of Bomber Task Force Europe.During their mission,they are building strategic relationships critical for timely and coordinated responses when needed,Whiteman AFB said.The Northrop Grumman aircraft are being crewed by Airmen with the Missouri Air National Guard. In the course of their mission,the B-2s have performed their first integration with Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft,strengthening our shared commitment to global security and stability.They also integrated with US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa F-15C Eagle fighters out of RAF Lakenheath,England,who provided escort to the bombers. Indeed,the F-15s,Typhoons and B-2s flew a training sortie over the North Sea,enhancing enduring skills and relationships with NATO Allies and regional Partners.They thus are reinforcing goals of remaining flexible and agile for rapid response capabilities towards any potential crisis or challenge across the globe.* While long responsive to Russian aggression and Islamist extremism,NATO is currently developing its approach to Chinese challenges as well.* Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Strengthening NATO:US Air Force Sends F-35s to Europe

On 15 April 2017,US Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters deployed to Europe for the first time,landing at RAF Lakenheath,England,US European Command announced.According to General Curtis M. Scaparrotti,US Army,EUCOM commander and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe:
These aircraft,plus more importantly,the men and women who operate them,fortifies the capacity and capability of our NATO Alliance.*
The warplanes are from the 358th and 419th Fighter Wings out of Hill Air Force Base,Utah.They will train with America's European Allies over a period of several weeks,including forward deployment to maximise training opportunities;strengthen the NATO Alliance;and gain a broad familiarity of Europe's defence operating conditions,EUCOM said.Air Force General Tod D. Wolters,commander,US Air Forces Europe and US Air Forces Africa,added:
As we and our joint F-35 partners bring this aircraft into our inventories,it's important that we train together to integrate into a seamless team capable of defending the sovereignty of Allied nations.
EUCOM cited the F-35's state-of-the-art sensors;interoperability;and vast array of advanced air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions as assets that will help maintain the fundamental territorial and air sovereignty rights of all nations.The Lightning II has unprecedented precision attack capability versus current and emerging threats with unmatched lethality,survivability and interoperability,EUCOM pointed out.*
This F-35A mission is part of the Pentagon's European Reassurance Initiative,which was enacted following Russia's annexation of Crimea and support for rebels in Eastern Ukraine.The Initiative is meant to increase the confidence of the NATO Allies in America's commitment to help defend them and deter Russian aggression.*
The number of F-35As involved in the deployment has not been disclosed.Hill AFB has a total of 20 F-35s,which is planned to climb to 78 by 2019.Colonel David Smith,419th Fighter Wing commander,noted that:
This aircraft can collect all kinds of information;give it to the pilot;and we can share that information with our partners.*
Lockheed Martin is prime contractor for the F-35 Lightning II.*
Lockheed Martin (LMT)