King Charles makes rare stop inside F-35 fighter jet cockpit

Debut as honorary air commodore KING Charles tried out the cockpit of a cutting-edge F-35B Lightning stealth jet as he paid his first visit to RAF Marham in Norfolk in his role as the base’s Royal Honorary Air Commodore.

While on a tour of the Norfolk base, during which he also viewed training units working to keep Britain’s fleet of frontline combat aircraft flight-ready, the King clambered into the controls of an F-35B Lightning – a next-generation multi-role stealth aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

Interacting directly with aircrews and station staff But Mr Charles’s interests weren’t only military machine orientated: he took time out to meet with fliers just back from service in the Mediterranean.

Station staff at Marham had travelled out earlier in the week to protect British sovereign base airfields at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus with anti-unmanned aviation system activity.

Royal family connection King Charles remains active in military relations – as Head of the Armed Forces, having previously been an officer in the Royal Navy and having undergone training as an aviator in the RAF – this marks the latest occasion on which he has engaged directly with serving personnel.

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But the King’s attention did not stop in the flight sheds, as he also met with families in the community who are away at present, along with members of RAF Marham’s ‘Community Support, Resilience and Climate Change Group.