The F35 at Ibiza airport belongs to the Marine Corps

The F35 at Ibiza airport belongs to the Marine Corps. | EFE

Jason MoorePalma08/06/2021 11:10
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It is amazing how the Balearics gets involved in big stories. I was slightly disappointed that the new flagship of the Royal Navy, the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, would not be visiting Palma. The biggest warship ever built for the Royal Navy and her Task Group, sailed close to Balearic waters but there was no stop in Palma.

The Queen Elizabeth is so big that she would have had to moor in the Bay of Palma because the Port of Palma couldn´t accommodate her size. But last week one of her F35 Stealth fighters was forced to make an emergency landing in Ibiza. The F35 is one of the most sophisticated aircraft ever build and she is almost invisible to radar.

The Royal Navy carrier has a mixed air group of U.S. Marine Corps and Royal Air Force/Fleet Air Arm planes. The F35 at Ibiza airport belongs to the Marine Corps. The sight of this aircraft in the Balearics caused a sensation and aircraft spotters went into overdrive.

But they had another treat in store over the weekend when a giant Royal Air Force C17 transport plane touched down at Ibiza, bringing equipment for the stranded jet. The C17 flew from RAF Marham in Norfolk, which is the home of the British F35 aircraft, to Ibiza.

The small group of plane spotters couldn´t believe their eyes as the enormous aircraft landed. The whole mission was completed successful and the F35 is expected to rejoin the Queen Elizabeth shortly. Will the carrier visit Palma?....well hopefully on her return leg from the Far East.