RAF MARHAM UPDATE – FEBRUARY & MARCH 2025
The deployment of F-35 aircraft and support personnel to HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier remains at the forefront of the Station’s thoughts and output. Personnel preparing to depart on this eight month deployment to the Indo-Pacific have been undergoing rigorous deployment training and balancing this with periods of leave to spend time with their loved ones prior to going away. As part of this preparation, 617 Sqn, 809 NAS and 207 Sqn have been flying to HMS Prince of Wales to conduct Carrier Qualification training supported by Engineers and Landing Signals Officers from RAF Marham. The importance of the deployment was marked by RAF Marham’s Honorary Air Commodore, His Majesty King Charles, visiting the carrier to watch the F-35’s from 207 Sqn landing and taking off from the deck.
In addition to the specific skills required to safely operate from the ship, there have also been busy periods of exercise flying. RAF Marham F-35’s participated in Exercise Cobra Warrior for 3 weeks at the end of February. This is a bi-annual war fighting exercise which provides opportunity to integrate with UK partner nations and develop tactics and procedures. Cobra Warrior-1 2025. Continuing the theme of enhancing interoperability with partner nations, RAF Marham Air Base is enabling the participation of NATO jets in Exercise Ramstein Flag, which is a multinational, multidomain NATO exercise with over 90 aircraft participating Exercise Ramstein Flag 2025 . Not all of these aircraft will be in our local area as there are 12 allied bases across Europe participating, but you may notice some different jets such as Spanish F-18’s flying around Norfolk during this time.
In other news, RAF Marham have been excelling at sports so far in 2025. Our Marham Bulls Rugby team won the Navy Rugby Cup Final in February and the RAF Marham Football team has made it to the RAF Football Cup Final after beating RAF Waddington 6–0! Many of our personnel also play in local teams and really enjoy this link with the community while they are stationed here. Last week our industry partner BAE Systems completed ‘The Great Tommy Sleep Out’, sleeping outside for a night to raise money for the Royal British Legion and raise awareness for homeless ex-service men and women; The Great Tommy Sleep Out 2025. One of our social spaces, The Blue Bull café and bar, which is located outside of the base in Upper Marham behind the shops, has been refurbished. The opening night was well attended where people enjoyed samples from the new food and drinks menu accompanied by live music, and please know that this is open to the general public and everyone is welcome.