17 (Reserve) Squadron, which comprises both Royal Navy and RAF pilots and engineers, was officially stood up at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The squadron, which was first formed in 1915, will be responsible for all the testing and evaluation of the UK’s first F-35B Lightning II aircraft, known as BK-1.
PO Gary Lister, who is responsible for maintaining the ejection seats and crew escape system as well as managing the weapons on the aircraft, said: “The F-35 has a myriad of sensors and technologies which means every aspect of the aircraft is constantly being tested.
“This means when snags are found, they aren’t just fixed, but analysed and scrutinised to help future fault diagnosis and streamline the maintenance effort; it’s a hugely complex aircraft which will give both the navy and the RAF a superb capability.”
