DIO award £27M contract to build new F-35B headquarters

Air December 5, 2016

Wates Construction Ltd has secured a contract from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to deliver a new Squadron Headquarters to support the new aircraft, scheduled to come in to service at the Norfolk Station in mid-2018.

The contract will see the creation of new facilities to support the new F-35B Lightning II aircraft at RAF Marham.

The new Squadron Headquarters will oversee mission planning, administration and maintenance for the next generation of RAF operational fast jet aircraft.

The project forms part of a £250M programme of works, part of the major investment by the Ministry of Defence, to ready the station for the arrival of the aircraft.

Billed as the most advanced aircraft ever built for the UK, the fifth generation F-35B jets will be operated initially by 617 ‘The Dambusters’ Squadron, Royal Air Force, followed by 809 ‘The Immortals’ Naval Air Squadron, in 2023.

The new aircraft will have the capability to operate from land as well as the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, the first of which is due to accept Lightning II onto her deck in 2019.

Work on the project will begin early next year and complete by mid 2018, with around 300 jobs being created through the overall project.

Ian Vickers, Managing Director of Wates Construction Home Counties said: “We are delighted to be chosen for this exciting project at RAF Marham, which is our first success on the DIO framework. We look forward to working with client and their team in the delivery of the new Squadron Headquarters and bringing local opportunities for training and employment.”

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image © Crown copyright

Defence Infrastructure Organisation F-35B Lightning II Queen Elizabeth Class RAF RAF Marham