It looks like the U.K. has now committed to the full F35 order originally planned.
The United Kingdom has, it appears, signalled a reaffirmation of its commitment to procure 138 F-35B aircraft, as per the original plan laid out in the early stages of the programme.
In a recent parliamentary exchange, James Cartlidge, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, provided a detailed response regarding the UK’s commitment to the F-35 programme.
On 5th February 2024, he stated:
“All Partner Nations place orders for F-35 through the Joint Program Office in low-rate initial production Lots. The average time between the multi-national orders being placed for each Lot and deliveries to customer nations is between two to four years.
For details of United Kingdom delivery timescales from Lot 3 to Lot 14, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer that Baroness Goldie gave to the Noble Lord, Lord Moonie on 4 November 2019 to Question HL520, which remains extant. The multi-national order for low-rate initial production Lots 15-17 was placed in early 2023, which set delivery timescales of a further thirteen UK F-35B aircraft out to 2025.
The UK remains committed to 138 aircraft through the life of the programme. However, no contracts have been placed by any nation beyond production Lot 17. Precise details of delivery timescales for subsequent production Lots will be taken at the appropriate time, as part of the wider multi-national orders. This ensures the most appropriate capability and the best value for money.”
This statement stands in stark contrast to the ambiguity that surrounded the UK’s procurement plans following the 2021 Defence Command paper. The paper did not reiterate the commitment to 138 F-35s, leading to speculation that the UK might be scaling back its involvement in the program. Instead, it mentioned an intention to “increase the fleet size beyond the 48 F-35Bs already ordered,” without specifying a target number.
This statement stands in stark contrast to the ambiguity that surrounded the UK’s procurement plans following the 2021 Defence Command paper. The paper did not reiterate the commitment to 138 F-35s, leading to speculation that the UK might be scaling back its involvement in the program. Instead, it mentioned an intention to “increase the fleet size beyond the 48 F-35Bs already ordered,” without specifying a target number.
Notably, in March 2021, a previous First Sea Lord reportedly estimated that the final fleet would total between 60 and 80 aircraft. What will the figure be next week?
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-a...of-138-f-35bs/