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9h ago

MPs Warn UK F-35 Programme Faces Shortfalls and No Clear Nuclear Timeline

The spending committee says short‑term savings drove up costs, leaving too few aircraft and personnel available.

The report looked at the entire F-35 programme, which includes F-35As capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and F35-Bs which have conventional capability, and are pictured here at RAF Marham in Norfolk in 2018 (Photo: Joe Giddens/PA)

Overview

  • Ministers still cannot say when RAF F-35s will be certified for a nuclear role or what that capability will cost, the Public Accounts Committee reports.
  • Only 24 of the UK’s 37 F-35s were deployable, with shortages of trained pilots, engineers and instructors restricting availability, according to MPs.
  • Delayed investments raised long‑term costs, including a stealth test facility that saved £82m short term but will add £16m by 2031–32, and 809 Naval Air Squadron infrastructure rising from £56m to a forecast £154m.
  • The MoD puts whole‑life costs at £57bn through 2069, while the NAO points to excluded items that could push the total toward £71bn, and MPs say F‑35A airframes may prove costlier overall once nuclear‑mission training and personnel are included.
  • The MoD says the programme remains within budget, supports UK industry and will field two full squadrons by year‑end, a claim the committee questions given capability gaps such as no long‑range ground‑attack missile until the 2030s.