The Royal Air Power’s transition to fifth-generation air energy is constructed on the legacy of plane such because the Harrier and Twister, in line with the RAF, which says classes from these platforms proceed to form trendy ways.
Talking throughout Operation Highmast, the place RAF plane are flying alongside Italian forces on Train Falcon Strike, Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth mirrored on how the service’s heritage informs its strategy to integrating fifth-generation methods just like the F-35 Lightning.
“Flying the Harrier taught us to be exceptionally agile and unconventional in our strategy. The Lightning takes that mindset and supercharges it,” Smyth mentioned.
The RAF’s participation in Falcon Strike entails each legacy and trendy plane working collectively, which Smyth described as a fusion of previous expertise and current functionality. He mentioned this combine provides depth and dimension to the battlespace, reinforcing the service’s readiness objectives set out within the UK’s Strategic Defence Assessment.
Smyth, who joined the RAF in 1991 and has flown operational missions over Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, mentioned the Harrier’s Brief Take-Off and Vertical Touchdown functionality redefined operational flexibility. “STOVL isn’t simply one thing the jet can do, it permits us to point out up the place others can’t. That may make a distinction quick, particularly by way of readiness and responsiveness,” he mentioned.
The RAF views the F-35B’s mixture of stealth, sensor fusion and vertical flight as a strategic enabler, permitting dispersed operations and speedy deployment in contested environments. Smyth famous that this builds straight on the adaptability as soon as demonstrated by Twister crews who mastered multi-role operations and coalition integration throughout a long time of service.
“What fifth era permits past legacy platforms is determination superiority, and that’s battle-winning,” Smyth mentioned, describing the shift from platform-based warfare to a related, data-driven ecosystem.
He added that the rules underpinning legacy plane, together with survivability, adaptability and mission effectiveness, stay fixed. The distinction, he mentioned, lies in how the RAF now fuses these qualities with superior digital integration.