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The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It is built by Lockheed Martin and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.

The F-35 has three main models: the conventional take-off and landing F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35B, and the catapult-assisted take-off and arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C. The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32.

The F-35 programme is among the biggest defence projects in the world, and one of huge importance to the UK’s Armed Forces. The UK’s F-35 Lightning II is the STOVL version and will be flown by both the Royal Navy and the RAF.

• The UK is currently taking deliveries of the F-35 aircraft that will be used on board the nation’s two new flagships, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

• The aircraft will be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk when not operating from the carrier flight decks or deployed operating bases.

• In addition to its short take-off and vertical landing capability, the F-35B’s unique combination of stealth, cutting-edge radar, sensor technology, and electronic warfare systems make it a true fifth-generation combat aircraft.

• More than 500 UK companies are in the programme supply chain.

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) teams are involved in overseeing the UK’s F35 deliveries in concert with international partners. DE&S is a highly specialised, branch of the MoD, operating with a budget of £178 billion over the next 10 years. From the procurement of aircraft carriers to the provision of food, they ensure our armed forces have the equipment and support they need to achieve their operations.

This aircraft is the most complex and most advanced that has ever been. The talk will cover the aircraft as a whole with an emphasis on engineering, and will be a unique opportunity for us to hear about this exciting programme from an expert intimately involved with it. There will be the opportunity for questions.