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What a beautiful morning for our entry. It’s hard to believe just weeks ago we were flying #UKF35 from these decks for the very first time. Home is in clear view 👀 #WESTLANT19
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We are currently off beautiful Weymouth Bay, onloading family under the PACAS scheme - Parents & Children at Sea. This gives our loved ones the unique chance to sail into port with us tomorrow #WESTLANT19 #itsafamilyaffair
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📷 Air defence throughout #WESTLANT19 has been provided by the mighty @HMSDragon 🐲. The #Type45destroyer has been #breathingfire exercising with a number of @USNavy ships, as well as acting as our escort.
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📷 Now it’s Leading Phot Kyle Heller’s turn to choose his favourite 4 shots. It’s not easy to pick from so many great images! Which of these is your favourite? #WESTLANT19
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📷 We hope you have enjoyed the photography the team has captured during #WESTLANT19. Leading Phot Dan Shepherd has picked out his favourite 4 – do you agree?
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Our #UKF35 Lightning’s have flown their carrier nest - marking the end of this historic phase of #WESTLANT19 operational tests. If you like this teaser, click here youtu.be/wXmnnFcGVSE for the full video, and come back here to tell us what you think! @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce
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Now this is the way to travel to work! What a fantastic viewpoint of the ship - what you can’t see is the queue of excited matelots wanting to have a go! From one type of jet #UKF35 to another @takeonGravity #WESTLANT19
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Someone needed to leave the ship in a hurry! We do have seaboats you know @takeonGravity #WESTLANT19
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Not looking at all out of place amongst the @USNavy carrier cousins at Norfolk Naval Station! #WESTLANT19
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We have flown our first #UKF35 multi-ship, launching 4 jets in quick succession and recovering on completion of their ‘mission’. Absolutely awe inspiring to watch, hear and feel! #WESTLANT19 @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce @17SqnRAF @OC617Sqn
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Welcome to the Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group, USS Philippine Sea and USS Truxtun @USNavy. The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer have joined us as #UKF35 jet trials continue in the USA #WESTLANT19 #jointcapability @RoyalNavy
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11 years between these pictures; the RN has today again launched a jet from a carrier whilst replenishing at sea. This force-multiplier shows the Service's transformation in that time; Invincible to QE class, Wave to Tide class and Harrier to Lightning #WESTLANT19 #backinthegame
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All of us here on #WESTLANT19 are grateful for & humbled by your support for our main Remembrance image, captured here onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth. Here is a timelapse video, showing how we achieved it. Blink and you'll miss the helo taking the photo! #WeWillRememberThem
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It's a very special thing for Service personnel to mark the Armistice, and honour the fallen, whilst on deployment. LPhot Dan Shepherd captured today's ceremony on video, to give you the opportunity to share it with us. #WeWillRememberThem #WESTLANT19 #QNLZatSea @PoppyLegion
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At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, #WeWillRememberThem.
Wherever in the World we serve #WESTLANT19
@PoppyLegion @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce @BritishArmy
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You've seen him by day, now you can see him by night as he ramps up his moves with glow sticks! Flight Deck Officer, Lt Cdr Richie Turrell keeps it safe on the deck as we night qualify our #UKF35 pilots #WESTLANT19 @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce @17SqnRAF @OC617Sqn
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There are some great lighting conditions for our @RoyalNavy photographers as we night qualify our F-35 pilots here off the East coast of the USA. Rotary wing flying continues too as we pound the decks around the clock #WESTLANT19 @RoyalAirForce @17SqnRAF @OC617Sqn @CdrBobBond
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Possibly the most photographed man on our deck - Flight Deck Officer (FDO), Lt Cdr Richie Turrell busts more moves launching a @USMC F-35. If you want to ask Richie a deck-related question, please post below. He will answer as many as he can over the coming few days #WESTLANT19
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Want to see a busy flightdeck? Enjoy this great video by Leading Photographer Dan Shepherd, of @USMC #F35 pilots from VMX-1 carrier qualifying on our deck. Preparations for our first operational deployment with 🇬🇧& 🇺🇸Lightnings embarked in 2021 are in full swing #WESTLANT19
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Here are some more of today's very welcome new additions to #WESTLANT19 ; @USMC and their #F35 Lightnings onboard - that's two VMX-1 pilots already daytime carrier qualified 👊🏼 And yes, there will soon be video! #QNLZatSea #bigdecksfastjets @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce
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F-35B Lightnings from @USMC have arrived onboard! The jets, from VMX-1 based at MCAS Yuma, are conducting 'fly to' operations for the next two weeks. Their pilots are undergoing CQ, 'Carrier Qualification', before exercising pairs sorties with our own UK Lightnings #WESTLANT19
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Here's a sight we will enjoy getting used to; @USMC F-35B engineers, maintainers and other support crew have been dropped onboard by USMC CH-53 Sea Stallion. They will soon bring out their own Lightnings for flying trials alongside UK jets #WESTLANT19 @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce
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Enjoy this fantastic shot by Leading Photographer Kyle Heller, Royal Navy #WESTLANT19 @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce @OC617Sqn @17SqnRAF #QNLZatSea #UKF35
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Our most frequently asked question, since starting trials with UK F-35, is: "what is that open door?" AKA the 'scoop' or 'toilet seat', the Upper Lift Fan Door is explained by one of our embarked F-35 pilots, Wing Cdr Adam Curd RAF #WESTLANT19 @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce #UKF35
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The operational test tempo continues to build here at #WESTLANT19 as we launch and recover pairs of UK Lightnings, within seconds of each other. This enables us to generate sorties at a much faster rate. @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce @17SqnRAF @OC617Sqn @RAF_Marham #FlyNavy #UKF35
