American F-35s leave UK-led CSG21 mission

The British-led Carrier Strike Group 21 mission (CSG21) has bid farewell to American F-35s that have been part of the deployment.

The United States Marine Corps' VMFA-122 squadron has been thanked for their "commitment, loyalty & professionalism" by the Carrier Strike Group's commander, Commodore Steve Moorhouse.

"I wish to thank them for their commitment, loyalty & professionalism," he tweeted.

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"The achievements of this deployment have been groundbreaking and raised the bar in terms of integration between our two nations. #StrongerTogether."

Ten American F-35s were part of the CSG21 mission.

The aircraft only recently returned to operations from HMS Queen Elizabeth, following a crash involving a British Lighting jet from the aircraft carrier in the Mediterranan earlier this month.

A joint UK-US operation is continuing to retrieve the wreck of the F-35B.