<ul class="summary-list"><li>By 1943, the Allies had begun a strategic bombing campaign against Germany's war industry.</li><li>Bombing industrial centers was costly and often inaccurate, and the Allies sought better targets.</li></ul><p>At 9:28 p.m. on May 16, 1943, a squadron of 19 Avro Lancaster heavy bombers from the British <keyword id="12980238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-air-force" source="Orion">Royal Air Force</keyword> took off from their base in England and headed toward Germany.</p><p>By 1943, British bombing raids on Germany were common, but these <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-raf-with-bouncing-bombs-crippled-nazi-factories-in-ruhr-valley-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bombers were on a secret mission</a>, one so unique and demanding that a new squadron was created for it.</p><p><keyword id="14215932" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="no-617-squadron" source="Orion">No. 617 Squadron</keyword> was made up of some of the most experienced bomber pilots in the world. Their planes carried a specially designed munition made to destroy a specific target: dams.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-incredible-story-of-the-dambusters-raid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mission</a> would make legends of the pilots and their squadron, which remains one of the RAF's most celebrated units.</p><h2>Strategic bombing</h2><div type="image" title="Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster bombers" height="607" width="840" msid="92266362" hostid="261"></div><p>By 1943, Allied strategic bombing was seen as vital to defeating Nazi Germany. The most important targets were industrial — the factories, refineries, and oil storage facilities that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-thursday-for-wwii-us-army-air-force-over-schweinfurt-germany-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">armed and fueled the German war machine</a>.</p><p>The precision of aerial bombardments was limited by the technology of the time, however, and the best way to ensure those targets were hit was with carpet bombing.</p><p>Hundreds of bombers flew over cities and industrial centers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wwii-bombing-so-intense-it-left-marks-on-edge-of-earth-atmosphere-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to drop thousands of tons of bombs</a>. Entire city blocks were destroyed and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-dresden-germany-bombing-world-war-ii-2018-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thousands of civilians were killed</a>. Allied bomber crews were also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-trying-to-identify-airmen-killed-in-ploesti-raid-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed or captured in great numbers</a>.</p><p>The British sought to make the bombing more accurate. One solution, proposed by Vickers aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis, was to go after the factories' energy sources, namely dams.</p><p>Dams provided hydroelectricity and water for factories and houses and supported agricultural development. The destruction of one dam, causing power outages and flooding, could ripple through German supply chains.</p><p>Targeting dams wasn't a new idea, but it was particularly hard because of their physical layout and composition. The Germans also set up robust defenses around important dams and <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/first-dambusters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adapted</a> to Allied efforts to destroy them.</p><h2>Bouncing bombs</h2><div type="image" title="Upkeep_in_Lancaster" height="1439" width="1919" msid="92266364" hostid="261"></div><p>Wallis focused on developing a weapon that could reliably breach a dam without requiring hundreds of bombers. His solution was a bomb that, when dropped from 60 feet at about 230 mph, would skip across the water, hit the dam, sink, and then detonate.</p><p>Wallis found that a bomb's explosive pressure would be magnified by water, which is denser than air. Wallis' bomb was designed to capitalize on that effect, with a cylindrical shape to keep it intact after hitting the water and ensure it had the backspin needed to maintain stability and reduce its angle of impact.</p><p>No. 617 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, was to conduct the raid during nighttime but practiced at all hours, putting blue plastic screens over their windows during daytime to simulate darkness.</p><div type="image" title="Dambuster Bouncing bomb training WWII" height="900" width="1200" msid="92266366" hostid="261"></div><p>The bombers themselves also needed to be modified. The special mounting and release system for the 9,000-pound <keyword id="14215934" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bouncing-bomb" source="Orion">bouncing bomb</keyword>, which also had a motor to generate backspin, was too big for the bomb bay, and its fuselage doors were removed. The bomber's lower guns were also removed to reduce drag.</p><p>Technicians also developed a system with two lights mounted underneath the bomber to shine on the surface of the water. The lights would overlap when the aircraft reached the 60-foot altitude at which the bomb could be safely dropped.</p><p>Their targets were the Möhne, Sorpe, and Eder dams in the Ruhr valley, Germany's industrial heartland. Only Gibson knew the targets during training. The rest of the squadron was told the day of the strike.</p><h2>'<keyword id="14215933" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dambusters" source="Orion">Dambusters</keyword>'</h2><div type="image" title="Avro Lancaster bomber No. 617 Squadron Dambusters raid" height="630" width="840" msid="92266368" hostid="261"></div><p>Operation Chastise, as the mission was known, began on the night of May 16. The Lancasters took two routes across the Netherlands and into Germany, flying as low as possible to avoid detection.</p><p>The journey proved hazardous. One Lancaster flew so low over the North Sea that a wave ripped its bomb clean off, forcing it to turn back. One was shot down over the Netherlands, and two more accidentally crashed into power lines.</p><p>The first target was Möhne dam. After several runs in which bombs fell short or bounced over the dam, at least two bombs managed to detonate successfully, breaking a large hole in the dam. The Eder dam was breached after three bomb drops, but the Sorpe dam held firm.</p><p>In all, eight Lancasters were lost. Of the 133 airmen involved, 53 were killed and three were captured — a fatality rate of 40%.</p><div type="image" title="German dam after No. 617 Squadron Dambusters attack" height="863" width="1151" msid="92266371" hostid="261"></div><p>But they had <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22510300" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrought havoc</a> on the Germans, flooding the Ruhr Valley with over 300 million tons of water.</p><p>All bridges within 30 miles of the Möhne dam were destroyed, as were 12 factories supporting the war effort. Another 100 factories were damaged. Mines and crops were flooded, and 400,000 tons of coal production was lost. Some industrial activity was halted for weeks.</p><p>The flooding also killed more than 1,500 people, most of them prisoners of war, laborers, and civilians.</p><p>The Germans were able to repair the dams within five months, but the labor and resources put into their reconstruction took away from other important projects, notably Hitler's Atlantic Wall, meant to defend against an Allied invasion.</p><h2>Lasting legacy</h2><div type="image" title="dambusters 617 raf F-35" height="2000" width="3000" msid="92266373" hostid="261"></div><p>No. 617 Squadron became known as the "Dambusters" and earned an elite reputation.</p><p>Later in the war the squadron supported the invasion of France and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-british-hunted-sunk-nazi-german-battleships-bismarck-tirpitz-2021-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">helped sink the German battleship Tirpitz</a> with <a href="https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/chronicles/the-tallboy-bomb-a-lancaster-delivered-earthquake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tallboy bombs</a>, another one of Wallis' specially designed weapons.</p><p>In 2018, the Dambusters became the first RAF squadron equipped with <keyword id="12272848" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-35b" source="Orion">F-35B</keyword> stealth jets. In 2021, eight of them <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-uk-aircraft-carrier-ends-first-deployment-with-milestones-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deployed aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth</a> as part of the <keyword id="12018460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-navy" source="Orion">Royal Navy</keyword>'s Carrier Strike Group 21.</p><div type="image" title="UK navy F-35B Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier" height="788" width="1400" msid="92266376" hostid="261"></div><p>During the deployment, the strike group sailed 49,000 miles to the Pacific and back, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-uk-aircraft-carrier-already-training-for-anti-submarine-warfare-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visiting or exercising</a> with 44 countries.</p><p>The Dambusters' F-35Bs made over 3,000 deck landings and conducted the RAF's first F-35B combat operations when they <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-uk-aircraft-carrier-joins-isis-fight-russia-watches-closely-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struck ISIS targets</a> in Syria. One F-35B crashed while landing on the carrier in the Mediterranean, but the pilot survived and the aircraft was eventually <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-that-crashed-off-uk-carrier-has-been-recovered-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recovered</a>.</p><p>The Dambusters also <a href="https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/raf-participates-in-norwegian-led-nato-exercise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">participated</a> in Exercise Cold Response in March, flying north to take part in simulated air battles with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-command-and-control-of-aircraft-carriers-shows-combat-power-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Royal Navy's other new carrier</a>, HMS Prince of Wales.</p>

How the British air force's newest jets commemorate a daring and costly World War II bombing mission

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/573f2e9691058426008c40c6-3000-2000/dambusters.jpg" alt="dambusters 617 raf F-35" data-mce-source="Royal Air Force" data-link="http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/the-dambusters-in-2016-from-lancaster-to-lightning-16052016"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/the-dambusters-in-2016-from-lancaster-to-lightning-16052016">Royal Air Force</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>The above picture shows the airmen of the RAF's 617 'Dambusters' squadron kneeling in front of two F-35Bs with their&#xa0;World War II counterparts superimposed behind them.&#xa0;</p><p>The black and white counterparts&#xa0;were on the forefront of military aviation technology in World War II, when the multi-national squadron of&#xa0;bombers <a href="http://www.dambusters.org.uk/the-dam-raids/the-reasons/" target="_blank">needed a way</a> to knock out Nazi Germany's hydroelectric dams. Besides air and sea defenses, the Germans devised torpedo nets that protected their dams from conventional attacks.</p><p>Not to be defeated, the British devised a "<a href="http://www.dambusters.org.uk/the-dam-raids/the-bomb/the-bouncing-bomb/" target="_blank">bouncing bomb</a>" to be dropped from Lancaster bombers flying just 60 feet above the water. The mission was bold and dangerous, but the 617th prevailed, earning them a sort of legendary status in history.</p><h2>Here's an illustration of how the bouncing bomb worked (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS2-QyzaS1U" target="_blank">from Weymouth College</a>):</h2><p><div><iframe src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/PoisedWindyCreature" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="1240" height="620" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p><p>Now, airmen from the same squadron train with US&#xa0;Marines in Beaufort,&#xa0;South Carolina, to fly the most advanced jet in the world, the F-35 Lightning II.</p><p>"We work alongside the US Marines flying the jets and training pilots and maintainers every day. We've been working with our US partners since the beginning of the F-35 programme and we continue to develop the capabilities of the aircraft together," <a href="http://www.picrail.com/l/4k2cdd/brit-f35-pilots-of-617-squadron-standing-with" target="_blank">said RAF&#xa0;Wing Commander John Butcher</a>, 35, the current&#xa0;officer commanding of the 617 Squadron, whose grandfather flew Lancasters during World War II.</p><p>"We work very closely with the US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps and other <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> partners in making decisions on the programme; the relationships really couldn't be better."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-us-military-jets-warplanes-nato-romania-black-sea-f-22-2016-4">The US is showing its strength against Russia by sending its most advanced warplanes to the Black Sea</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="02eWo0MzE6Sna9Izru7iTcHT2MRCqgIM" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '02eWo0MzE6Sna9Izru7iTcHT2MRCqgIM',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The legendary RAF 'Dambusters' of WWII are now flying F-35s with US Marines

The lineup of new games for 2023 indicated that we would have an incredible year for gaming. In the next 12 months, PlayStation and Xbox will release a slew of games across genres. Also, if you are looking to play new action titles on PC, there is something for everyone in the roster of games for 2023.<br /><br />Below is a list of <keyword id="15702142" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="all-upcoming-games-for-pc" source="Orion">all upcoming games for PC</keyword>, Xbox, PlayStation, and more for 2023 based on announcements and reveals.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="One Piece Odyssey" comment="subhead" text="One Piece Odyssey"><span data-til="noop">One Piece Odyssey</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One<br />Release date: January 2023<br />One Piece Odyssey is a role-playing game from Bandai Namco in which the user has to navigate the world of adventure. The One Piece Odyssey is designed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise so expect some surprises in the game.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Dead Space remake" comment="subhead" text="Dead Space remake"><span data-til="noop">Dead Space remake</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Playstation 5<br />Release date: January 2023<br />Dead Space is one of the best horror games. EA has revealed that it has rebuilt the game with some additional content.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Hogwarts Legacy" comment="subhead" text="Hogwarts Legacy"><span data-til="noop">Hogwarts Legacy</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X<br />Release date: February 2023<br />The Hogwarts Legacy has no direct adaptation of the Harry Potter franchise. In the game, you will be playing as a student attending Hogwarts during the 1800s. It is an open-world RPG game, so expect plenty of surprises.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Wild Hearts" comment="subhead" text="Wild Hearts"><span data-til="noop">Wild Hearts</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X<br />Release date: February<br />The wild heart is being developed by EA and is a hunting game in which you need to gear up and survive. Also, in the game, you have to battle monsters.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty" comment="subhead" text="Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty"><span data-til="noop">Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC<br />Release date: March 2023<br />Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an upcoming action-role-playing video game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Dead Island 2" comment="subhead" text="Dead Island 2"><span data-til="noop">Dead Island 2</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC<br />Release date: April 2023<br />Dead Island 2 is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver. It is the sequel to the 2011 video game Dead Island and the third major installment in the Dead Island series.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Atomic Heart" comment="subhead" text="Atomic Heart"><span data-til="noop">Atomic Heart</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PC, PS4 PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One<br />Release date: February<br />Atomic Heart is an action FPS-RPG game developed by Mundfish. The game is very similar to BioShock, Far Cry, and Fallout. The game consists of shooting and melee swinging with improvised weapons.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Company of Heros 3" comment="subhead" text="Company of Heros 3"><span data-til="noop">Company of Heros 3</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PC<br />Release date: February 2023<br />Nine years after Company of Heros 2, Relic Entertainment is set to release the much-awaited sequel Company of Heros 3.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Forza Motorsport" comment="subhead" text="Forza Motorsport"><span data-til="noop">Forza Motorsport</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PC, Xbox Series X/S<br />Release date: Spring 2023<br />Forza Motorsport is all set to release next year with advanced car damage. The game is also expected to feature new race tracks, cities, and cars.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" comment="subhead" text="Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League"><span data-til="noop">Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PS5, Xbox X/S, PC<br />Release date: 2023<br />This is an adventure and open-world game where you play as the different members of the Suicide Squad on a mission to save the earth. The game will feature co-op and solo modes.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Alan Wake 2" comment="subhead" text="Alan Wake 2"><span data-til="noop">Alan Wake 2</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC<br />Release date: 2023<br />Alan Wake 2 is the sequel to 2010’s Alan Wake. The game will take inspiration from the first part. Also, it will include some new and spooky surprises in the game.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" comment="subhead" text="Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora"><span data-til="noop">Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora</span></cmsannotation><br />Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Windows PC<br />Release date: 2023- 2024<br />The Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is the adaptation of James Cameron’s Avatar movie. The game was announced in 2017, but in 2021 we saw some glimpses of it.<br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/oneplus-nord-watch-review-a-decent-watch-with-a-hint-of-premiumness-under-a-budget/articleshow/95281350.cms">OnePlus Nord Watch review: A decent watch with a hint of premiumness under a budget</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/this-bio-engineered-houseplant-claims-to-clean-the-air-as-efficiently-as-30-air-purifiers/articleshow/95507043.cms">This bio-engineered houseplant claims to clean the air as efficiently as 30 air purifiers</a><br />

Top upcoming games in 2023: Here’s what PC, PlayStation, and Xbox users should expect

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of planning to blow up a major dam in southern Ukraine.</li><li>He said flooding would sweep across dozens of towns and hundreds of thousands of people in the area.</li></ul><p>Retreating Russian forces in Ukraine may be planning to echo a tactic used by the Soviets in World War 2 — sabotage that reportedly led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in 1941 — according to allegations by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week.</p><p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-mined-a-ukrainian-dam-planned-false-flag-attack-zelenskyy-2022-10">planning to blow up a major hydroelectric dam</a> in southern Ukraine as its forces struggle to hold off advancing Ukrainian forces.</p><p>During a Thursday address to the European Council, Zelenskyy claimed Russian troops mined the key Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant as its forces struggle to hold off advancing Ukrainian forces.</p><p>Zelenskyy said Russian troops are "deliberately creating the grounds for a large-scale disaster" — which would hit hundreds of thousands of people with flooding across 80 towns — and plan to lay blame on Ukraine in a "false flag" attack.</p><p>Zelenskyy said Russia had kicked out Ukrainian workers from the dam, but Insider could not verify the claims of a pending Russia plot.</p><h2>Echoes of an earlier disaster</h2><p>If Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces carry out an attack on the Ukrainian dam, the move would mirror a deadly tactic used by the Soviet Union during World War II in the same area in an attempt to slow the German invasion. </p><p>In 1941, Nazi forces invaded what is now eastern Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union.</p><p>As the Red Army retreated on August 18, agents with the predecessor of the KGB used dynamite to blow up the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station — which is just over 150 miles upriver from the Kakhovka dam that Zelenskyy alleges is now being targeted. </p><p>Flooding from the explosions cut off access to the city of Zaporizhzhya, slowing the German invasion. But a massive wave swept over nearby villages along the river, killing thousands of unsuspecting civilians as well as Red Army officers who were crossing the water.</p><p><a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/european-remembrance-day-ukraine-little-known-ww2-tragedy/25083847.html">According to a Radio Free Europe report on the tragedy</a>, between 20,000 and 100,000 people died.</p><p>In an interview with Ukrainian television channel 1+1 in 2009, survivor Oleksiy Dotsenko said "people were screaming for help."</p><p>"Cows were mooing, pigs were squealing. People were climbing on trees," he said, according to Radio Free Europe.</p><p>The dam-busting tactic was also used by Ukrainian forces earlier in the war with Russia this year as Putin's troops marched on the capital Kyiv. Villagers in Demydiv and Ukrainian soldiers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukrainians-intentionally-flooded-village-stop-russian-tanks-attack-kyiv-report-2022-4">intentionally flooded the village</a> to thwart the push to capture Kyiv.</p><p>Unlike the Soviets' actions though, there were no reports of any civilian casualties in the flooding and villagers told the New York Times they were proud to cooperate and stop the Russia attack.</p><h2>Russian attacks on civilian targets</h2><div type="image" title="Russian troops guard an entrance of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station, a run-of-river power plant on the Dnieper River in Kherson region, south Ukraine, Friday, May 20, 2022." height="2666" width="5333" msid="95018345" hostid="261" sizebytes="775610"></div>Attacks on civilian infrastructure have also long been a part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putins-ukraine-playbook-is-familiar-he-used-it-in-syria-2022-3">playbook,</a> not just during the ongoing Ukraine war, but also in warzones like Syria.<p>Over the last few months, Russian forces have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-strikes-cut-ukraine-electricity-part-of-new-putin-playbook-2022-10">targeted</a> schools, hospitals, humanitarian shelters, energy facilities, roads, apartment complexes, and other civilian targets in Ukraine as part of their unprovoked invasion. </p><p>Ukrainian forces continue to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-frantically-evacuates-civilians-kherson-early-win-putins-forces-ukraine-2022-10">advance closer</a> to the southern Russian-occupied city of Kherson — a major city just under 50 miles from the dam that's one of the few remaining cities captured by Russia still under their control.</p><p>The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, wrote in a Wednesday <a href="https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-19">analysis</a> that Russian forces are "setting information conditions to conduct a false-flag attack" on the dam, meaning they would blame Ukraine for the destruction.</p><p>"The Russian military may believe that breaching the dam could cover their retreat from the [western] right bank of the Dnipro River and prevent or delay Ukrainian advances across the river," the ISW wrote in its analysis. </p>

Zelenskyy says Russia plans to blow up a Ukrainian dam. The Soviets used the same tactic in WWII to slow a Nazi invasion, killing thousands of civilians.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An <keyword id="12063092" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-35c" source="Orion">F-35C</keyword> experienced a "landing mishap" on the deck of <keyword id="11898296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier" source="Orion">aircraft carrier</keyword> USS Carl Vinson Monday.</li><li>The pilot ejected safely and is stable, but seven other sailors were injured.</li></ul><p>A US Navy pilot bailed out of an F-35C stealth fighter after a landing mishap on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson while it was conducting operations in the South China Sea, the sea service said Monday afternoon.</p><p>The unidentified pilot was recovered by a military helicopter and is in stable condition, but seven other Navy personnel were injured in the incident. Four were treated on the ship, while three had to be medically evacuated to a facility in the Philippines. The three who were airlifted off the ship for treatment are stable.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/2909515/f-35c-lightning-ii-has-landing-mishap-on-uss-carl-vinson/">Navy said that the incident</a> and its causes are currently under investigation. The status of the fighter jet is unknown, though it has been <a href="https://twitter.com/LMartinezABC/status/1485711763962220546">reported that it was lost at sea</a>.</p><p>USS Carl Vinson is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-deploying-with-f-35c-for-first-time-2021-8">first US Navy aircraft carrier to deploy with the F-35C</a>, a variant of the fifth-generation fighter designed specifically for carrier operations. The air wing features the Navy's first F-35C squadron, the "Argonauts" of Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 147.</p><p>Monday's landing mishap occurred as the carrier conducted operations alongside USS Abraham Lincoln, which recently deployed with not only the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-aircraft-carrier-deploys-first-female-commanding-officer-2022-1">first female carrier captain in US Navy history</a> but also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marine-f35c-pilot-says-stealth-jet-makes-carriers-more-lethal-2021-9">the first Marine Corps F-35C squadron</a>, the "Black Knights" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314.</p><div type="image" title="An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Jan. 22, 2022" height="667" width="1000" msid="89102606" hostid="261"></div><p>The incident aboard the Carl Vinson Monday is not the first F-35 mishap aboard a carrier.</p><p>In November 2021, a British pilot flying an F-35B, a short-takeoff/vertical landing variant, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-pilot-flying-off-uk-aircraft-carrier-bails-out-2021-11">had to eject from the aircraft during takeoff</a> while the British Royal Navy's flagship carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth conducted flight operations in the Mediterranean.</p><p>The pilot, who was recovered and safely returned to the vessel, was assigned to the 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, which was operating alongside a US Marine Corps F-35B squadron at the time of the accident. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-that-crashed-off-uk-carrier-has-been-recovered-2021-12">mishap aircraft was reported recovered</a> in December.</p>

Pilot forced to bail out of F-35 stealth jet after 'landing mishap' on US Navy aircraft carrier in South China Sea

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US <keyword id="108651" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Marine-Corps">Marine Corps</keyword> F-35s flew 5,000 miles from Arizona to the UK this week.</li><li>The fifth-gen jets are preparing to deploy aboard the British <keyword id="42406" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier">aircraft carrier</keyword> <keyword id="1616943" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="HMS-Queen-Elizabeth">HMS Queen Elizabeth</keyword>.</li><li>It will be the first full operational deployment of a US <keyword id="1824517" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-35b">F-35B</keyword> squadron aboard the British carrier.</li></ul><p>US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters flew over 5,000 miles this week for an upcoming deployment aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.</p><p>Ten fifth-generation fighter jets assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, a unit known as the "Wake Island Avengers," flew from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona to RAF Lakenheath in the UK for final training before next month's deployment.</p><p>For HMS Queen Elizabeth's maiden deployment, the first-in-class ship will lead the large, multinational Carrier Strike Group 21. The CSG will sail over 26,000 nautical miles and visit 40 countries during the deployment, <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2021/april/26/210426-csg21-deployment">according to the Royal Navy</a>.</p><p>VMFA-211 will integrate with Britain's 617 squadron, known as the "Dambusters."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe &amp; Africa  (@USMCFEA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1387387297503629313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Although the B variant F-35s used by the Marine Corps is built for short takeoff and vertical landings aboard big-deck amphibious assault ships, they have also proven capable of operating off the British Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.</p><p>US Marine Corps F-35 pilots have trained alongside their British counterparts aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, but this will be the first full operational deployment of a US F-35B squadron aboard the British carrier, <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/394978/wake-island-avengers-arrive-raf-lakenheath">according to the US Marine Corps</a>.</p><p>Last September, <a href="https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/2349489/the-wake-island-avengers-have-arrived/">VMFA-211 trained alongside the Dambusters at Royal Air Force Marham</a>, where the two squadrons worked together to develop the essential mission skills necessary to function as a combined force for the upcoming deployment.</p><p>The US Marine Corps <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-f-35-squadron-to-make-history-by-deploying-aboard-british-carrier-2019-5">first announced plans to deploy F-35Bs aboard the Queen Elizabeth for a 2021 deployment</a> in 2019.</p><div type="image" title="CSG 21" height="2400" width="3600" msid="82298088" hostid="261"></div><p>In addition to the 65,000 metric ton British carrier, the CSG with which the US Marines will be operating will include the British destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender, frigates HMS Richmond and Kent, support ships Fort Victoria and Tidespring, and a submarine.</p><p>A Dutch frigate and American destroyer will also be a part of the group.</p><p>The CSG, which will also include more than 30 aircraft, will be the largest fleet of <keyword id="201426" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Royal-Navy">Royal Navy</keyword> ships to deploy abroad since <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-learns-lessons-about-seizing-taiwan-from-the-falklands-war-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Falklands War</a>.</p><p>The deployment is expected to take the group into the Indo-Pacific region, likely through contested waterways like the South China Sea, where China routinely bristles at US aircraft carrier operations. The plan is for the strike group to visit Signapore, South Korea, Japan, and India, among other nations.</p><p>UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Monday that "when our Carrier Strike Group sets sail next month, it will be flying the flag for Global Britain."</p><p>He said the CSG will be "projecting our influence, signaling our power, engaging with our friends and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the security challenges of today and tomorrow."</p><p>'"The UK," he said, "is not stepping back but sailing forth to play an active role in shaping the <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> system of the 21st century."</p>

US Marine Corps F-35s flew over 5,000 miles for a deployment aboard UK aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An F-35 pilot had to bail out of a stealth fighter over the Mediterranean Wednesday.</li><li>The pilot was operating off the British flagship carrier <keyword id="12554191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hms-queen-elizabeth" source="Orion">HMS Queen Elizabeth</keyword>.</li></ul><p>A British pilot flying an F-35B stealth fighter jet off <keyword id="11892697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="britain" source="Orion">Britain</keyword>'s flagship <keyword id="11898296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier" source="Orion">aircraft carrier</keyword> HMS Queen Elizabeth was forced to bail out of the stealth fighter during flight operations in the Mediterranean, the UK defense ministry revealed Wednesday.</p><p>The pilot, who was a member of the 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, was recovered safely and returned to the ship, and an investigation is underway.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Ministry of Defence Press Office  (@DefenceHQPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1460987353410027530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Insider contacted the <keyword id="12018460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-navy" source="Orion">Royal Navy</keyword> about the status of the aircraft, but the sea service declined to comment further.</p><p>The incident, on which details are still limited, is one of only a handful of F-35 fighter crashes and only the second for an <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> partner in this stealth fighter program.</p><p>The first F-35 crash <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-crashes-in-south-carolina-2018-9">happened in 2018 and involved a short-takeoff/vertical landing B variant that went down near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina</a>. As was the case for the British pilot, the US Marine Corps pilot flying that aircraft was able to eject safely.</p><p>The following year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-japanese-militaries-scrambling-to-find-technology-on-missing-f-35-2019-4">a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-35A flying out of Misawa Air Base disappeared from radar</a>. The remains of the pilot, Major Akinori Hosomi, were recovered, but the bulk of the aircraft remains lost on the sea floor.</p><p>And in March last year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f35-crash-eglin-air-force-base-florida-2020-5">a US Air Force pilot safely ejected from an F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base</a>. In September, <a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/09/29/marine-f-35b-crashes-after-collision-with-kc-130-over-california-all-aircrew-recovered-safely">an F-35B crashed in California</a> after colliding with a KC-130. The pilot survived but was injured during ejection.</p><p>The British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, the fleet flagship and the first of a new class of aircraft carrier that also includes HMS Prince of Wales, is on her maiden deployment.</p><p>The UK has 24 F-35Bs, 21 of which have been delivered with 3 still in the US for testing and evaluation. Eight British F-35s deployed aboard the Queen Elizabeth alongside ten stealth fighters flown by US Marine Corps pilots.</p>

A pilot flying off Britain's flagship aircraft carrier was forced to bail out of an F-35 stealth fighter in the Mediterranean

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The F-35 that crashed off a British aircraft carrier last month has been recovered.</li><li>A British pilot had to bail out during a takeoff emergency, ditching the plane in the Mediterranean.</li></ul><p>The F-35 stealth fighter that a British carrier pilot <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-pilot-flying-off-uk-aircraft-carrier-bails-out-2021-11">was forced to ditch in the Mediterranean last month</a> has been recovered, the British Defense Ministry said Wednesday.</p><p>"Operations to recover the UK F-35 jet in the Mediterranean Sea have successfully concluded," the ministry said. "We extend our thanks to our NATO allies Italy and the United States of America for their support during the recovery operation."</p><p>In mid-November, a pilot with the 617 (Dambusters) Squadron deployed aboard <keyword id="12554191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hms-queen-elizabeth" source="Orion">HMS Queen Elizabeth</keyword> had to bail out of an <keyword id="12272848" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-35b" source="Orion">F-35B</keyword> Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter due to an emergency.</p><p>Toward the end of last month, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-appears-show-the-british-f-35-fighter-jet-crashing-2021-11">a video surfaced online</a> that appeared to show the the fifth-generation aircraft slipping off the aircraft carrier's ski jump and crashing into the sea during a takeoff mishap.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Seb H  (@sebh1981) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1465351592018956295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote><p>The above twitter user, a defense commentator, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-appears-show-the-british-f-35-fighter-jet-crashing-2021-11">told Insider's Azmi Haroun</a> that the video was sourced from a <keyword id="12018460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-navy" source="Orion">Royal Navy</keyword> WhatsApp group, adding that the footage appeared to be from the Queen Elizabeth's visual surveillance system.</p><p><a href="https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/sailor-arrested-after-f-35-aircraft-carrier-crash-video-leak/">The UK Defense Journal, citing an unnamed source, reported</a> Tuesday that a service member aboard the carrier has been arrested for the video leak.</p><p>The British newspaper <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/4225752/f-35-jet-wreckage-royal-navy-mediterranean/">The Sun first reported</a> the successful recovery, reporting that a defense source said it took two weeks to find the wrecked fighter and another few weeks to pull the plane out of the sea.</p><p>Officials told the outlet that "there is no danger or compromise to sensitive equipment on the aircraft."</p><p><a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/4225752/f-35-jet-wreckage-royal-navy-mediterranean/">The Sun reported</a> that senior military leaders had expressed concern that the aircraft's sensitive technology could fall into the hands of the Russians if not properly recovered.</p><p>Similar concerns were raised when <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-japanese-militaries-scrambling-to-find-technology-on-missing-f-35-2019-4">a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-35A flying out of Misawa Air Base disappeared from radar</a> in 2019. The remains of the pilot, Maj. Akinori Hosomi, and some debris were recovered, but the bulk of the aircraft was not.</p><p>The British F-35 mishap, which was reportedly caused by a rain cover getting sucked into the engine, is only the fifth known F-35 <keyword id="12129639" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="crash" source="Orion">crash</keyword>.</p><p>With the loss of the aircraft, the UK has only 23 F-35Bs. Twenty-one aircraft had been delivered, and three are still in the US for testing and evaluation. Eight British F-35s were deployed aboard the Queen Elizabeth alongside 10 F-35Bs flown by US Marine Corps pilots.</p>

The UK has recovered the F-35 stealth fighter that crashed off an aircraft carrier into the sea

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="12018460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-navy" source="Orion">Royal Navy</keyword>'s new flagship, <keyword id="12554191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hms-queen-elizabeth" source="Orion">HMS Queen Elizabeth</keyword>, returned from its maiden deployment this month.</li><li>In its final weeks at sea, the British carrier operated with F-35Bs from a new country but lost one of its own F-35Bs.</li></ul><p>On December 9, the <keyword id="11898296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier" source="Orion">aircraft carrier</keyword> HMS Queen Elizabeth — the Royal Navy's new flagship and the largest, most powerful vessel <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/queenelizabeth">ever constructed for the service</a> — returned to Portsmouth after its maiden deployment.</p><p>During seven months of operations as <keyword id="12833224" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carrier-strike-group" source="Orion">Carrier Strike Group</keyword> 21, HMS Queen Elizabeth and its escorts sailed through the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Western Pacific, working alongside ships from <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/images/news/ships/queen-elizabeth/csg-21-deployment-map-(1).pdf?la=en-gb&amp;rev=7303a9a532894b5ca7da987a19269104&amp;hash=891E07E0CCDFA3C2CB73B41D61DE88A5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">17 countries and participating in 18 major exercises</a>.</p><p>The carrier's deployment was significant for many reasons and featured a number of milestones involving the F-35 aircraft, including the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-that-crashed-off-uk-carrier-has-been-recovered-2021-12">loss of a British F-35B</a>.</p><h2>A seaborne F-35 hub</h2><div type="image" title="US and UK F-35Bs aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth" height="1333" width="2000" msid="88555242" hostid="261"></div><p>Carrier Strike Group 21's mission was the largest deployment of F-35 aircraft since the F-35 program began.</p><p>Aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, which can carry 40 aircraft, were 18 F-35s: 10 F-35Bs from US Marine Corps' Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 and eight F-35Bs from Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, known as "the Dambusters" in reference to <a href="https://www.insider.com/british-raf-with-bouncing-bombs-crippled-nazi-factories-in-ruhr-valley-2018-9">a daring World War II mission</a>.</p><p>During the deployment, British and American F-35Bs completed 1,278 sorties — including 44 missions against ISIS targets in support of Operation Inherent Resolve — <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/images/news/ships/queen-elizabeth/csg-21-deployment-map-(1).pdf?la=en-gb&amp;rev=7303a9a532894b5ca7da987a19269104&amp;hash=891E07E0CCDFA3C2CB73B41D61DE88A5">and flew more than 2,200 hours</a> in total.</p><p>"We have never seen a ship with 18 F-35s out there that is going to transverse half the world like we're going to do," Lt. Col. Andrew D'Ambrogi, commander of the US Marine squadron, <a href="https://news.usni.org/2021/04/29/blended-u-s-marine-u-k-royal-air-force-air-wing-aboard-hms-queen-elizabeth-will-be-largest-f-35-deployment-to-date">said before the deployment</a>.</p><p>D'Ambrogi called the deployment "a pretty bold statement" about power projection, and that was clearly one of the Carrier Strike Group 21's goals, especially in the Indo-Pacific, a region of increasing importance for the UK.</p><p>In <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/975077/Global_Britain_in_a_Competitive_Age-_the_Integrated_Review_of_Security__Defence__Development_and_Foreign_Policy.pdf">a strategy document</a> released in March, the British government said it planned to put "greater emphasis than ever before on the Indo-Pacific reflecting its importance to many of the most pressing global challenges in the coming decade."</p><p>That emphasis was reflected in the deployment of so many F-35s, but British and American F-35s were not the only ones aboard the carrier.</p><h2>Crossing the language barrier</h2><div type="image" title="Italian, British, US F-35B jets aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth" height="1333" width="2000" msid="88555243" hostid="261"></div><p>In late November, Italian F-35Bs landed on HMS Queen Elizabeth's <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/queenelizabeth">4 </a><a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/queenelizabeth">acre flight deck</a> for interoperability exercises in the Mediterranean.</p><p>"The fact that US, Italian, and UK F-35Bs are able to fly to and from one another's decks offers tactical agility and strategic advantage to NATO," <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest%20activity/news/2021/november/22/20211122-italian-f35s">said Royal Navy Commodore Steve Moorhouse</a>, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group.</p><p>The US, UK, and Italy are the only NATO members that currently operate the <keyword id="12272848" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-35b" source="Orion">F-35B</keyword> variant, and having all three operating their jets aboard the carrier was "a telling demonstration of the ability of the UK's flagship to work seamlessly with other nations," Moorhouse added.</p><p>This ability is extremely important for allied interoperability.</p><p>"Different [air traffic controllers] use different terminology, accents cause confusion, and call signs can change depending on where you're operating," <a href="https://sofrep.com/index.php/author/brian-hudson">Brian Hudson</a>, an aviation writer and veteran US Air Force avionics technician, told Insider.</p><p>US Air Force pilots regularly do proficiency training on civilian airfields, on airfields operated by other US service branches, and on foreign military airfields "just for the experience of dealing with unfamiliar controllers," Hudson added.</p><p>Besides F-35Bs from those three allies, Carrier Strike Group 21 operated alongside F-35s from four other militaries during its deployment. But it was not all good news for Britain's new flagship.</p><h2>A dent in its record</h2><div type="image" title="F-35B takes off from British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth" height="827" width="1240" msid="88555244" hostid="261"></div><p>On November 17, a British pilot was forced to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-pilot-flying-off-uk-aircraft-carrier-bails-out-2021-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eject from his F-35B during routine flight operations</a> near Egypt.</p><p>The pilot was recovered safely, but the jet was lost at sea, prompting a hectic search in order to prevent sensitive equipment from being retrieved by adversaries. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-that-crashed-off-uk-carrier-has-been-recovered-2021-12">The aircraft was recovered in early December</a>.</p><p>It was the first accident involving a British F-35B, a plane that costs the UK military roughly $165 million.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/Justin_Br0nk/status/1467858245255671822">According to Justin Bronk</a>, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, the lost F-35B was one of the newest ones in the British fleet.</p><p>Its age meant it had "significantly lower Block IV upgrade requirements than older airframes," Bronk said, referring to an upcoming suite of hardware and software upgrades that will considerably increase the jet's already formidable capabilities.</p><p>Britain has 23 F-35Bs remaining, three of which are still undergoing testing and evaluation in the US. It has ordered 24 more, which are scheduled for delivery by 2025.</p><p>The UK initially <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-british-aircraft-carriers-hit-major-milestone-at-same-time-2021-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">planned to buy 138 F-35Bs, but that was cut to 48 jets</a>. In the UK's 2021 defense review, officials announced plans to increase the fleet to more than 48, <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974661/CP411_-Defence_Command_Plan.pdf">though they didn't give an exact number</a>.</p><h2>A global Britain</h2><div type="image" title="Aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales" height="1333" width="2000" msid="88555245" hostid="261"></div><p>The first-in-class HMS Queen Elizabeth and its sister ship, <keyword id="12554905" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hms-prince-of-wales" source="Orion">HMS Prince of Wales</keyword>, are the only two carriers of their class, but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-british-aircraft-carriers-hit-major-milestone-at-same-time-2021-11">both hit major milestones this year</a>, reflecting the UK's renewed emphasis on global military reach.</p><p>Despite the loss of an F-35B, the deployment of Carrier Strike Group 21, its participation in <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> exercises, and the advances in F-35 interoperability were all displays of Britain's renewed maritime power.</p><p>As the British government said in <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974661/CP411_-Defence_Command_Plan.pdf">its 2021 defense review</a>, the strike group showcases "the UK's ability to project global influence and send a powerful message about our ability, and our willingness, to act globally."</p><p><em>Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree on security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.</em></p>

You Searched For "dambusters" and got 9 results

How the British air force's newest jets commemorate a daring and costly World War II bombing mission

Benjamin Brimelow

The legendary RAF 'Dambusters' of WWII are now flying F-35s with US Marines

Alex Lockie

Top upcoming games in 2023: Here’s what PC, PlayStation, and Xbox users should expect

Rahul Verma

Zelenskyy says Russia plans to blow up a Ukrainian dam. The Soviets used the same tactic in WWII to slow a Nazi invasion, killing thousands of civilians.

Jake Epstein

Pilot forced to bail out of F-35 stealth jet after 'landing mishap' on US Navy aircraft carrier in South China Sea

Ryan Pickrell

US Marine Corps F-35s flew over 5,000 miles for a deployment aboard UK aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

Ryan Pickrell

A pilot flying off Britain's flagship aircraft carrier was forced to bail out of an F-35 stealth fighter in the Mediterranean

Ryan Pickrell

The UK has recovered the F-35 stealth fighter that crashed off an aircraft carrier into the sea

Ryan Pickrell

The UK's new aircraft carrier wrapped up its maiden deployment with 2 more milestones — one good and one bad

Constantine Atlamazoglou