Britain has sent several F-35B fighter jets to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, according to open-source flight tracking data, as tensions in the Middle East escalate.
The aircraft departed RAF Marham in eastern England and were supported by RAF Voyager aerial refuelling tankers during the transit, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
***
The deployment adds to the UK’s existing air presence at Akrotiri, which has long served as a key operating base for British military activity in the region.
It is understood that the new deployment of capabilities is focused on defensive measures, mainly detecting and defeating airborne threats around the base.
The movement of the F-35Bs was identified through monitoring of publicly available flight data by our senior editor, Jon.
RAF Akrotiri has built up into a notably busy operating base, hosting a mix of frontline fast jets and supporting enablers. The current footprint seems to include a sizeable Typhoon presence alongside a smaller detachment of F-35B Lightning aircraft, backed by Voyager tanker support.
The deployment comes as the United States has also increased airlift activity into the region. Publicly available flight tracking also indicates a surge in U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster movements into multiple bases across the Middle East, including in Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
RAF Akrotiri itself is one of Britain’s most important overseas military facilities and has been used for operations across the Middle East for more than a decade, including air missions against Islamic State under Operation Shader.
