809NAS 'Immortal'

The motto of 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) is 'Immortal' and the squadron makes this come true once again!

On Friday 8 December 2023, it was re-activated at RAF Marham as the fourth British squadron to be equipped with F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft. This is the sixth time that the squadron is (re)activated in its history which started in 1941.

The British F-35 community is jointly staffed by Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm - FAA) personnel. It is therefore only fitting that next to 17 Squadron, 207 Squadron and 617 Squadron (all three RAF units), the fourth squadron to be equipped with these jets is an FAA unit. Sadly the jets do not carry individual unit markings, and it is expected that will not change with 809NAS joining the ranks.

Both 617sq and 809NAS are frontline squadrons, while 17sq acts as Operational Test & Evaluation Unit and 207sq acts as Operational Conversion Unit. Of these only 17sq is not based at RAF Marham. This unit can be found at Edwards AFB (CA) where it works closely with its American counterparts.

A very high level summary of the squadron history shows it was active in these periods: 1941-1946, 1949-1959, 1963-1965, 1966-1978 and 1982. In these periods 809NAS has used Fairey Fulmar II, Supermarine Spitfire Va, Supermarine Seafire (various marks), Sea Hornet NF21, Sea Venom FAW21, Blackburn Buccaneer S1, Blackburn Buccaneer S2 and Hawker Siddeley Sea Harrier FRS1 aircraft.

809NAS received battle honours eight times: Arctic (1941), Malta Convoys (1942), North Africa (1942), Salerno (1943), South France (1944), Aegean (1944), Burma (1945) and Falklands (1982).

Credit photo (just illustrative): Hans van Herk