The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence announced 16 April 2014 that the F-35 Lightning II will make its international debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on 11-13 July and will also fly at the Farnborough International Air Show on 14-20 July. The decision to fly the F-35 outside of the United States for the first time followed discussions between Minister of Defence Philip Hammond and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. The UK has three F-35B aircraft which are currently based in the US for training Royal Navy and Royal Air Force pilots. The UK’s first operational Lightning II unit, 617 Squadron, is scheduled to transition to RAF Marham in Norfolk from the US in 2018.
