UK: F-35B fighter jets complete first missions

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA (AA) - British F-35B fighter jets have carried out their first operational missions by flying over Syria and Iraq, the Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday.

The fighter jets flew alongside Typhoon aircraft as part of the fight against Daesh earlier this month, said a ministry statement.

The jets first took off from a British air base on June 16 in Akrotiri, on the island of Cyprus, the statement said.

Since the first operational flight was made, the fighter jets have done more than 10 sorties, it said.

The U.K. currently owns 17 F-35B aircraft and more jets are due in the coming years under an overall plan to procure 138 aircraft over the life of the program, said the ministry.