The UK announced that the first of its F-35B STOVL fifth-generation fighter aircraft had become ‘combat ready’ earlier this year amid Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson’s fears of a “resurgent Russian threat.”

The Royal Navy plans to deploy its brand new F-35B fighter jets in Cyprus this summer, with the planes set to fly from their home base at RAF Marham in Norfolk to the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus, the Ministry of Defense has announced.

According to the MoD, the deployment will give the Royal Navy and the RAF “vital experience in maintaining and flying the aircraft in an unfamiliar environment.”

Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson praised the planned deployment on Twitter, boasting that it would serve as a “statement of our intent to protect ourselves and our allies from threats across the world.”

Source: Sputnik