The United Kingdom will acquire 12 new F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in a move that the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer tied to domestic jobs and the U.K. defense industry, but which also signals the nation will join NATO's dual-capable aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission – meaning its aircraft will be armed with both conventional and nuclear weapons.
“The purchase represents the biggest strengthening of the U.K.’s nuclear posture in a generation. It also reintroduces a nuclear role for the Royal Air Force for the first time since the U.K. retired its sovereign air-launched nuclear weapons following the end of the Cold War,” according to a government statement.
Selecting the F-35A – the conventional take-off and landing (U.S. Air Force) variant – of Joint Strike Fighter expands the U.K.’s strategy to align with the NATO intention to achieve dual nuclear and conventional warfare capability.
The F-35 is a Stealth-enabled aircraft deployed for ground attack and combat. Currently, the F-35A has a list price of $82.5 million, though additional costs like depot maintenance, ground support, and spare parts raise the estimated cost to $110.3 million per aircraft.
The U.K. is among the partner nations in the long-running F-35 program, and has a broad commitment to purchase up to 138 aircraft.
Currently, the U.K. has 34 F-35B fighter jets – the variant for short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) optimized for U.S. Marine Corps missions; the British have 30 such jets in service and existing orders for a total of 48.
The government did not reveal the cost of the new aircraft, but linked it to the U.K.’s Strategic Defence Review announced in June, the highlights of which were funding for future construction of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, and £15 billion to update the U.K.’s nuclear warhead program.
Further, the F-35 program is being updated to incorporate more advanced functions (Technology Refresh 3), in preparation for an overall upgrade (Block 4) for electronic warfare capabilities.
The F-35 is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, leading a program with hundreds of supplier partners – including several major firm with operations in the U.K., such as BAE Systems, GE Aerospace, Honeywell, Rolls-Royce, and Leonardo UK.
“Supporting 100 businesses across the country and more than 20,000 jobs, these F-35 dual-capable aircraft will herald a new era for our world-leading Royal Air Force,” the prime minister stated.
