RAF F-35s join multinational air combat drills in Italy for Exercise Falcon Strike 25

The Royal Air Force's F-35B Lightnings are taking part in multinational air combat drills in Italy, designed to test how Nato's newest fighter jets operate together in contested airspace.

Exercise Falcon Strike 25 is hosted by the Italian Air Force and runs from 3 to 14 November. It brings together aircraft and crews from Italy, the UK, the United States, France and Greece.

Flying from Italian bases and operating with the UK's Carrier Strike Group, the RAF's F-35Bs are carrying out live-fly missions with other fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft to improve coordination in complex combat environments.

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It's the latest in a series of Falcon Strike exercises that began in 2021 to integrate European and US F-35 fleets.

The 2025 edition is the first to involve five nations flying together.

Air Marshal Allan Marshall, the RAF's Air and Space Commander, said training with Italy had strengthened interoperability and mutual understanding between the two air forces.

"This exercise showcased not only fifth-generation capability, but the trust and professionalism that underpin every mission we fly together," he said.

The exercise is part of Operation Highmast, the UK's eight-month global deployment involving Royal Navy and RAF assets from the North Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific, but its focus in Italy is on refining the way Nato's F-35s share information and respond to fast-moving threats.

Daily missions at Falcon Strike 25 are increasing in complexity as the exercise progresses.

Early sorties have involved Eurofighters and F-35s in daytime integration flights, moving into a second, mainly night-flying phase in which the F-35s take the lead.

Scenarios include real-time threat changes, simulated drone attacks and integrated maintenance, with technicians from different air forces working across each other's aircraft.

As the roar of F-35 engines echoes across southern Italy, Falcon Strike 25 marks another step in Europe's growing fifth-generation integration, and in the UK's effort to ensure its frontline jets can operate seamlessly with allies across any theatre.