Top Guns from the Royal Air Force were given a warm Cornish welcome as they roared into Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose.

Six Supersonic Typhoon Fighter Jets along with nearly 100 personnel from 2 (Army Cooperation) Squadron RAF arrived for a week of exercising with a Royal Navy type 45 Destroyer in the South West Approaches of the English Channel. The RAF's fifth frontline and newest Typhoon outfit also used the deployment away from their Scottish base at RAF Lossiemouth, as preparation for future global operations that could come their way.

“Our mission at Lossiemouth is part of the 'Quick Reaction Alert Force' in readiness for operations across the northern part of the UK and prepare for future global deployments," said Wing Commander Roger Elliot, Commanding Officer of 2 (AC) Sqn. "We are down at RNAS Culdrose in training for deployments that could take us anywhere in the world, much like the Royal Navy does for operations. My job as CO is to get them ready to deploy."

"Culdrose offers us an ideal base for conducting Maritime integration exercises with HMS Defender, a Type 45 Destroyer, that will test her air defence radar and air defence capability."

The Squadron maintains a high state of readiness 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the defence of UK airspace. The Typhoon is a single seat fighter that can operate up to a maximum height of 55,000 feet, with a top speed of up to 1.8 mach. It is a highly capable and extremely agile multi-role combat aircraft, capable of being deployed in the full spectrum of air operations, including air policing, peace support and high intensity conflict.

Welcoming them to RNAS Culdrose was Commanding Officer Captain Adrian Orchard OBE, himself a Harrier pilot and no stranger to fast Jet activity. "Culdrose is really excited about having the Typhoons down. This is a big part of our future; we are looking ahead to cooperation between us, the Air Force and the other services from other nations as we prepare for operations with the Queen Elizabeth Carriers."

Many of the Air Station's Squadrons and Units are working alongside the Jets bringing realism to the exercises in the Air and at Sea. Their involvement will pay dividends in the future as the Royal Navy's own F35 B jets are on trials in the USA, with pilots and crews from RNAS Culdrose.

Captain Orchard added, “Many of our aircraft will be part of HMS Queen Elizabeth's 'Carrier Air Group' when she sets off to Sea. Our future is bright and looking very rosy as we continue to develop the carrier capability at RNAS Culdrose."