Royal Air Force and replacement by the F-35, the RAF Lossiemouth-based 15 (Reserve) Squadron (the Tornado Operational Conversion Unit) was disbanded in March 2017. Lightning: On 23 November 2015 it was announced that a total of 138 F-35Bs will be ordered. 617 (The Dambusters) Squadron officially reformed on 18 April 2018 as an RAF Lightning Squadron. The first four aircraft arrived at RAF Marham on 7 June 2018. The Sentry AEW1, based at RAF Waddington, provides airborne early warning to detect incoming enemy aircraft and to co-ordinate the aerial battlefield. The Sentinel R1 (formally known as ASTOR – Airborne STand-Off Radar) provides a
RAF Krendi in the Mediterranean. In February 1942, RAF Krendi appears to be acting as a decoy site for RAF Luqa. Although a shortage of materials, labour and transport delayed its development, in December 1942 one runway at Krendi came into use, and after this progress became more rapid. Weblog entries from RAF veterans based at RAF Krendi quote the following RAF fighter squadrons as being based at the airfield: No more Spifires or other RAF fighters were based at RAF Krendi after Autumn 1943. After the war, Krendi was one of a number of military facilities retained on Malta by the