On Thursday 12th September at precisely 1617 hrs command of 617 Squadron, Dambuster’s, was handed from Wg Cdr Stew Campbell to Lt Col Mike Carty.
Wg Cdr Campbell leaves the Dambuster’s after serving on the Squadron 3 times during his 22 year career. His final flight took place on 2nd September when he returned from the Squadron’s deployment to Iceland.
Addressing the Squadron Wing Commander Campbell said “ Serving as the Officer Commanding of 617 Squadron has definitely been the highlight of my career and it is with immense pride that I hand over command to Lt Col Carty today. Over the last 5 years the Squadron has continued to go from strength to strength and that is down to the hard work and dedication of each and every member of the Squadron”.
Wg Cdr Campbell will remain at RAF Marham for a short time supporting the Lightning Force before leaving the RAF next spring.
Lt Col Mike Carty takes up post as the first Royal Marine to command a fast jet Squadron. Joining the Royal Marines in 2000, Lt Col Carty deployed on a number of combat operations before embracing a new challenge and applying to specialise as a pilot. On completion of his flying training, Lt Col Carty flew the Harrier GR9 embarking in HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal. He also spent time flying the AV-8B Harrier serving with the US Marine Corps with VMA-211 and was awarded the US Navy Air Medal when deployed on Operation Inherent Resolve (Syria and Iraq).
Lt Col Carty served at RAF Valley as an instructor on the Hawk T2 and has worked as a Staff Officer in the F-35 programme at the Air & Space Warfare Centre and then with the Combat Air Force HQ, based at RAF Marham. Having completed his conversion course to the F-35B Lightning on 207 Squadron, he moves across to 617 Squadron to take command.
Lt Col Carty said, “It is a great honour to take over command of this historic Squadron from Wg Cdr Campbell and I will certainly aim to hit the ground running as we prepare to embark in HMS Prince of Wales next week alongside 809 NAS to participate in Exercise Strike Warrior. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead as the Squadron continues to build on the great work that has already been done to ensure that we maintain a level of readiness to fly and fight from a land or sea base when required.
