Commandos guide F-35 jets during live bombing run on Exercise Strike Warrior
Commando observers have guided F-35B stealth fighters on a live bombing run during a major exercise in the North Sea.
Four 500lb Paveway bombs were dropped by pilots from 809 Naval Air Squadron operating from HMS Prince of Wales along with 207 Squadron from RAF Marham.
The Lightnings targeted Garvie Island – a rocky outcrop off Cape Wrath at the northwest tip of Scotland.
UK Commando Force Special Observers, from 29 Commando Royal Artillery, fed live target information from their covert observation posts to the fifth-generation jets.
The Special Observers were able to feed information rapidly from the ground.
This meant faster decision-making as well as providing situational awareness for operation commanders on board HMS Prince of Wales.
Paveway bombs are laser-guided for use against well-protected targets and can be controlled either from the aircraft itself or by ground-based observers, who guide the bomb onto its target.
The uninhabited granite outcrop of Garvie Island was used as the target due to its indestructibility and slight resemblance to a major warship – as is roughly the same width and length as a capital ship.
The UK Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales, is off the coast of Scotland for Exercise Strike Warrior.
These military drills will confirm that the task force is ready for the Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
RAF Leeming has also been busy supporting the Merlin crews from HMS Prince of Wales that are taking part in Exercise Strike Warrior.
As the Royal Air Force base said on its X account: "Nautical but nice!"
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