An F-35B test aircraft has completed its first flight carrying four SPEAR 3 missiles, as part of ongoing trials to integrate the UK’s next-generation precision strike weapon onto the fifth-generation fighter, according to the F-35 Joint Program Office.
The flight was conducted at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland by the F-35 Integrated Test Force, with Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Nick Baker of the Air and Space Warfare Centre at the controls. The inert missiles were carried as environmental data recording assets, with the team now preparing for the next critical milestones of mission systems integration and jettison trials.
RAF Corporal Daniel Housden, who has been closely involved in the test programme, said the milestone had been a team effort. “As a team, we have been working hard toward this key milestone, and I’m proud to say SPEAR 3 has now flown on F-35B. I look forward to continuing with testing at the F-35 ITF and starting preparations for the first ejections.”
Dan Shelton, F-35 JPO UK and Italy weapons integration programme manager, said the result reflected exceptional collaboration across the team. “Much of this effort is owed to the outstanding work of the combined UK government and industry weapons team, US government and industry partners. The team’s exceptional collaboration was essential in navigating the complexities of this programme, allowing us to work through every challenge and deliver results.”
SPEAR 3 is a miniature turbojet-powered cruise missile developed by MBDA, designed to be carried internally within the F-35B’s weapons bays to preserve its stealth characteristics. With a range of over 100 kilometres, it uses inertial navigation, GPS, and a datalink to engage targets in all weather conditions, including moving and manoeuvring targets. Once fully integrated, the F-35B will be able to carry up to eight missiles internally.
The first flight milestone comes against a backdrop of programme delays. SPEAR 3 was originally planned to enter service in 2025, but the timeline has slipped repeatedly. The programme is currently undergoing re-baselining, and the MoD has confirmed that the estimated in-service date has moved to the early 2030s. A long-delayed review note setting out the formal new timeline has been reported as close to submission for ministerial approval, with Aviation Week reporting in early May 2026 that the MoD now expects to field the weapon from financial year 2028-29.
Interesting article out today on just how bad the TR3 program has been. Apparently all TR3 delivered jets world wide can only be used for training. This includes 12 for the UK.
This appears to be why SPEAR 3 and meteor integration are so badly late. Apparently the entire data fusion system in the aircraft is limited and the electronic warfare suite is limited to threat detection only.
Damn.
And there was you extolling the virtues of this wunderweapon and It’s vast superiority over legacy aircraft such as F18, Typhoon and F15 adding that one F35 was more deadly than a squadron of either.
It’s amazing what you learn reading “Articles out today”.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.
Morning Jim, time to put them Budgie smugglers on and get out In the Sun mate.
The TR2 version is performing very well. It’s TR3 having the issues.
Lockheed is just full of s**t, overly ambitious in what it can do. It’s the software that’s the constant problem, aerospace companies are just not cut out to code.
Oh….
I remember that the TR6 was way better than the TR7.
Must be an evolution thing I guess.
Remind me which aircraft got shot down by 30 year old Iranian sam systems?
This is encouraging news. F-35B with Spear 3 and escorts with Stratus-lo will combine to make a much more credible UK carrier strike group.
Did anyone understand why Aviation Weekly is talking about 28/29 if the MOD are talking about the early 2030s?
Could just be different milestones. Obviously the important one being fully operational in front line squadrons.