The Ministry of Defence has said the UK’s F-35 fleet will remain in frontline service into the 2060s, while declining to specify when sixth-generation aircraft will begin replacing the Typhoon and F-35, according to a written parliamentary answer published on Monday.
The exchange followed a question from Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who asked the Defence Secretary to clarify the replacement timeline set out in the Strategic Defence Review 2025. The SDR references the introduction of “sixth-generation combat air” but does not attach firm dates for when the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) aircraft will assume the roles currently filled by Typhoon and the Lightning Force.
Responding on behalf of the department, Minister of State Luke Pollard referred Obese-Jecty to a previous answer about Typhoon’s out-of-service dates and stressed the longevity of the UK’s F-35 fleet. Pollard wrote that “the F-35 aircraft will remain a cornerstone of our CA capabilities out to the 2060s.”
He added that the UK’s next-generation combat air capability “will be delivered by the Global Combat Aircraft, alongside uncrewed platforms and the current generation of aircraft.” The answer offered no direct timing for when GCAP aircraft will begin replacing legacy platforms, instead highlighting the intended mix of manned and unmanned systems.
The refusal to provide concrete dates mirrors the broader tone of the SDR, which emphasises capability pathways rather than fixed milestones. GCAP’s target of delivering a sixth-generation fighter by 2035 has been presented as an ambition rather than a guaranteed in-service date. Typhoon itself retains upgrade pathways that could keep it viable well into the 2040s, including radar, mission systems and electronic warfare enhancements.
By 2060, we will probably have 4 Typhoons and 20 F35’s left, the 4 Typhoons will be stuck at the former RAF Mount Pleasant after Ascention Island has been given away to Belize together with £35 Billion.
The 20 F35’s will be stuck on POW as the UK mainland will have been submerged due to rising Sea levels.
We’ve had the Global Combat Ship and that has been a great success. Long may it continue with the Global Combat Aircraft.
Morning “Damian”, GCS has it’s origins from way back in 1998, nwearly 28 years ago, Steel was first cut 8 years ago and not one ship has been fully built yet.
Orders and adoption of the design are great but we have yet to see how successful they will be.
Delboy, Albert, Trigger, Rodney, Damian all sorted now ! 😁
Wonder then with all these 36 years to come if they’ll ever be a twin engined F35, even a F35B STOVL type? And will one or both of the QE carriers evolve with it?
Basically there isn’t a funded plan so as to disguise that it is fudged and kept secret.
As most of us on here have controlled onto there is a bit of a problem with EoL Typhoon and GCAP with a very optimistic introduction window.
The only solution is more Typhoon, as they can carry weapons or F35 as they have sensors but can’t carry UK weapons. Which is unbelievable.
Meanwhile MOD use the fact that F35 can’t carry UK weapons as a reason for not buying them and that Typhoon does have F35 stealth or sensors for not buying those.
Clearly this is a policy developed by the Camerloon defence policy generator that gave us ‘can’t see a use for an aircraft carrier in the next ten years….oh, wait Libya….can we send a carrier?….no, we can’t’
Basically praying we don’t need to fight a war until some time in the far, far future….
Farcical is my fave word this week. By 2060 all the UK population will be speaking Mandarin and wearing Ho Chi Min sandals. Peoples Militia will all carry AK’s and execute dissenters from government protocols. Laugh? We are almost there.