Legendary Dambusters squadron to fly the RAF's new £100million Joint Strike Fighter Some feared squadron would be scrapped after its Tornado jets are retired But because of its actions during WWII it has acquired 'privileged status' Pilots will transfer to the state-of-the-art Joint Strike Fighter in three years It is a squadron immortalised by its wartime aerial heroics. Now the Dambusters are to be handed a key role piloting our fighter jets of the future. Some feared that the 617 Squadron - named in honour of its daring raid on dams in the Ruhr valley in 1943 - could be scrapped, as the Tornado GR4 jets it operates will be retired in 2019. Chocks away: The 617 'Dambusters' squadron will fly the RAF's new £100million Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters when they are introduced in three years Normally, it would be axed because it is the youngest of the RAF's five Tornado units. However, Sir Stephen Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff, will today announce that the 617 pilots will transfer to the £100million state-of-the-art Joint Strike Fighter, or Lightning II, when it is introduced in three years. Because of its actions during the Second World War 617 has acquired "privileged status." George "Johnny" Johnson, 91, from Bristol, the last surviving UK Dambuster who was a bomb-aimer over the Sorpe dam, said: "This is very welcome news. The squadron is here to stay. It is a chip off the old block, retaining the name, values and traditions of the original squadron. Grounded: 617 squadron's Tornado GR4 jets are due to be retired in 2019 The record 617 Squadron has maintained since it was established, in Afghanistan and the Gulf, has shown it is the finest in the RAF and thoroughly deserves this honour. Author and historian James Holland, who wrote The Dam Busters: The True Story Of The Legendary Raid On The Ruhr, said: "617 is the most famous squadron and it is absolutely right it should be preserved. It is a terrific honour that it has been chosen to fly the RAF's new warplanes. It became the elite squadron during the war, with its precision bombing, use on special operations, the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz and simulating an invasion on D-Day. It is wonderful symmetry that 617 will fly the first of the new aircraft. The pilots are the best of the best. The Lightning II will be the UK's only stealth aircraft. The RAF and Royal Navy will jointly operate a force of 48 fighter jets, which can be flown from land or sea. War effort: One of the Dambusters squadron dropping a bomb in 1943 Success: The Eder Dam bursting after the raid of 1943 Formed in 1943, 617 Squadron will transfer from their current base at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland to RAF Marham in Norfolk. The Navy will fly the jet from their new £6.2billion aircraft carriers. The news comes two months after the 70th anniversary of the Dambuster raids, when the squadron carried out its historic assaults on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams. The force had to fly across occupied Europe at night, so low that some were killed by power lines, and drop untried bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis with pinpoint accuracy in full view of the enemy's guns. The daring blitz - codenamed Operation Chastise - was a successful and dealt a decisive blow that crippled the Nazi war effort. But it was at great cost: eight of the 19 planes and 53 of the 133 men were lost. A Ministry of Defence source said: "The Dambusters have a strong heritage and special place in the nation's history. It's fitting an RAF squadron that played such a key role in the Second World War will fulfil a leading role in the future of Britain's airpower with the Lightning II.