The Royal Air Force
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The Royal Air Force defends our airspace, projects our air power globally and provides vital intelligence to support operations including counter-terrorism. We will continue to operate
Tornado combat aircraft until they are replaced by Typhoon. As part of Joint Force 2025, we will have:
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Typhoon and F35 Lightning aircraft, which will ensure that the Royal Air Force can continue to deal with evolving threats. We will establish an additional F35 Lightning
squadron and two additional Typhoon squadrons. We will invest further in Typhoon’s capabilities, including ground attack and a new Active Electronically Scanned Array
radar to ensure that we can continue to operate it until at least 2040. We will maintain our plan to buy 138 F35 Lightning aircraft over the life of the programme.
Complex weapons, including Stormshadow and Brimstone missiles, which offer unrivalled precision. We will continue to invest further in new precision weapons to
sustain our battle-winning capabilities.
More than 20 new Protector armed remotely piloted aircraft, more than doubling the number of the Reaper aircraft which they replace.
Upgraded aircraft to gather intelligence and detect and track targets, both on the ground and in the air. Sentinel will be extended in service into the next decade;
Shadow until at least 2030; and Sentry and Rivet Joint until 2035.
Nine new Boeing P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft to increase further the protection of our nuclear deterrent and our new aircraft carriers. These aircraft will be based in
Scotland and will also have an overland surveillance capability.
A recapitalised air transport fleet to enable our Armed Forces to intervene globally at speed. By 2016, we will have 14 Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft. Our 22 new
A400M Atlas heavy-lift aircraft will enhance our global reach, alongside our eight C17 aircraft. We will upgrade and extend the life of our C130J aircraft, allowing them to
support a range of operations until 2030.
A recapitalised Command Support Air Transport fleet to replace the current aircraft as they reach the end of their life. This will increase their operational utility and ensure
we are able to continue to transport the Royal Family and senior Ministers cost-effectively. We will also adapt one of our existing Voyager aircraft so that, as well as
its primary air tanking role, it can transport senior Ministers securely, delivering better value for money than the current use of charter aircraft. The aircraft would also be
available to the Royal Family.
We will invest in the next generation of combat aircraft technology, in partnership with our defence aerospace industry and our closest allies. We are working with the US to build
and support the F35 Lightning. We will work with France to develop our Unmanned Combat Air System programme, and collaborate on complex weapons.