US F-35Bs will begin flying off United Kingdom aircraft carriers in 2021, British Defense Minister Michael Fallon announced Thursday as a way to “return the favor.” United Kingdom Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots have been able to test fly F-35s off US aircraft carriers as part of the country’s “regeneration of UK carrier strike capability,” Fallon said during a joint appearance with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter in London. Beginning in 2021, US F-35Bs will start flying from Queen Elizabeth carriers. UK pilots have been operating on the USS America, using a 10-member team assigned to the F-35 Pax River Integrated Test Force. This team conducted a 23-day embarkation, according to a Navy release.
A record investment in research and development by the Department of the Air Force will help the United States win the long-term technology race with China, even while shrinking the fleet size before a possible mid-decade Taiwan contingency, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said May 17. “With the Air Force,…