The Ministry of Defence has published its tenth annual summary of the defence equipment plan.
According to a statement:
“Building on the 2020 summary, it sets out our plans for the next 10 years to deliver and support the equipment our armed forces need to do the jobs we ask of them.”
The document contains a great deal of technical information about the projects and the management/funding side of them and you can read that for yourself here but below I’ll try and present the most pertinent information relating to the project in question.
Meteor on F-35B – Equipment Background
The project is described as follows:
“Meteor is a beyond visual range air-to-air missile featuring active radar guidance and exceptional longrange performance. Developed by a 6- nation partnership, it is currently in service on Typhoon and will undergo modification to allow internal carriage on Lightning II.”
In Year Progress Update
“Meteor was assigned a place in the Followon Development Programme by the F-35 Joint Programme Office and contracts were awarded to Lockheed Martin in the early summer. However, entry into service is not anticipated to be until 2027 and there is a possibility that integration pressures in the programme may incur further delays because of challenges in the wider F-35 programme.”
You can read the report here.
What was the original plan?
British F-35B jets were to be equipped with Meteor missiles by the ‘middle of this decade’ originally. The information came to light in a response to a written question submitted in the House of Commons.
Mark Francois, Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford, asked:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his timetable is for the Meteor air-to-air missile to achieve initial operating capability on the F-35 aircraft.”
Jeremy Quin, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, responded:
“Initial development work for Meteor integration has progressed well. The Lightning Delivery Team within Defence Equipment and Supply (DE&S), through F-35 Joint Program Office has signed a contract to integrate Meteor in the middle of the decade.”
Previously we reported that a team of BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and MBDA engineers are enhancing the capability of the UK’s fleet of F-35 Lightning aircraft by commencing work on the integration of next generation weapons.
“BAE Systems has received an initial funding award from Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor on the F-35 programme, to start integration efforts for MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and SPEAR precision surface attack missile. Under this initial package of work BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin will also complete further integration work with MBDA on ASRAAM and with Raytheon on Paveway IV, initially integrated in support of delivering Initial Operating Capability for the UK.”
Cliff Waldwyn, Head of Combat Air, Group Business Development of MBDA, said:
“This is a significant milestone for the UK Combat Air’s capability. This initial package of work officially commences the integration of Meteor and SPEAR and will enhance the operational capability of the UK’s Lightning Force in the future; it is also a positive step for the wider F-35 enterprise as it adds additional capability choice for international customers. MBDA’s integration team have worked well with our BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin colleagues and we plan to build on this excellent foundation into the future on this follow-on modernisation work.”
Meteor is a ‘Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile’ system developed by MBDA. The Meteor programme sees the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden working together to provide access to technology and expertise across those nations.
I’m at a loss to understand exactly why it’s going to take 5 to 6 years to integrate Meteor and Spear with F35B. And end of decade for Future Cruise/Anti Ship weapons IOC.
It’s no wonder our potential adversaries sometimes do not take us seriously enough. We never seem to be ahead of the game and it’s only armed conflicts that ever seem to speed things up under UORs.
I be!I’ve it’s got something to do with the rollout of Blk 4 improvement to the F35. LM first announced that Blk 4 would be available in 2024, hence we have both Meteor and S3 available for integration from that date.
Unfortunately Blk 4 introduction has slipped to 2028:and possibly beyond. Hence the delay.
It’s not the RN/RAF or MODs fault, this is firmly with LM.
Ok understood; but why not (apart from cost) integrate for current block software and then redo? I thought one of the selling points of the fifth gen F35 was that it was a modular design. Therefore easier to integrate capability between software releases. Maybe not entirely feasible.
Not really sure John, perhaps just on cost grounds? Someone like @Robert Blay or @Daveyb might be able to shed more light.
Another Oh FFS moment! According to Lockheed Martin (LM), the Block 4 update is still progressing as planned. Which it clearly isn’t, as it has slipped again. The DoD and USAF in particular are getting more peeved with LMs lack of progress, especially as the not yet in service F15X has already been cleared for most of the weapons that the F35’s Block 4 upgrade was getting. The US general audit office (GAO) are blaming a lot of the delays due to Turkey being booted out of the program. They were manufacturing lots of the smaller components. That now had… Read more »
Cheers fella, thanx for the detailed reply, much appreciated. Have to agree, it’s not looking great in the grand scheme of all things F35.
I always understood the main issue was software, clearly far more to it. 👍
Hadden-Cave has had a massive effect on lots of systems used in the UK Military. I have been involved ( in my previous life) with a week long meeting of day long conference calls on Risk Management on a project. Lots of “Whatiffery” for identifying risks, diving down rabbit holes of further whatiffery and then identifying ways how to mitigate the risk, accept it or just ignore it as the risk is infinitesimally small. As long as the aircraft and the weapon work on the same data bus protocol there should not be an issue. In the RN the early… Read more »
The cynic in me thinks it’s not in the US interest to get this done, after all it gives F35 purchasers a non US weapon option. So is it time for the UK to demand to go the same way as the Isreal and another undisclosed buyer and have own branch of F35. Note I use the term branch and not version. You mentioned the time update the flight control software to ensure weapon release is safe. But could an agile approach be taken here. Meteor is BVR weapon fired from a stealthy strike airframe its unlikely it would be… Read more »
I’ll second that. Meteor and other stuff was offered to our friends but as usual its refused, so they can catch up and make their own. Very frustrating.
Last UK aircraft in frontline service was the B57. I bet they wish they’d had Lightnings in Vietnam to take on the Migs. Have you noticed they never dared use Starfighters they were such rubbish but which they palmed off on the Germans and others. Its all NIH thinking.
This is true of the UK as we insisted on full control over the code in our F35’s.
I thought that Israel was the only export customer with full access to the F-35 code, hence the problems. LM have a limited team and are clearly struggling with the now very complex code that they are working with, sucontracting parts of the work to the likes of BAE but that is dependent on LM meeting milestones. Plus customers like us are now committed so tough, bite the bullet. Hence our need to get back to much more ownership of the IP in an aircraft like we have with Typhoon and should have with Tempest.
You can read the full report here. Currently pushed back until 2029.
“The Department of Defense (DOD) is now in the third year of a $14 billion modernization effort—known as Block 4—to upgrade the hardware and software systems of the F-35.”
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-226.pdf
Thanks Nigel. Very interesting. Agile software development is always a challenge, particularly on a programme with a very large number of SLOC. Seems to imply there is a significant level of defects in existing software releases and working to clear these and address new requirements in tandem is proving extremely difficult; hence the schedule slip. It’s always a sign of problems when the customer is demanding more metrics data to determine real software quality. Doesn’t sound good.
It doesn’t sound good at all sadly.
LM now there’s a surprise, tell you what most worryingly it’s why potential adversaries are somewhat contemptuous of the US in recent times. No coincidence that even last week Russian mouthpieces have been boasting about placing hypersonic weapons on their borders if they don’t get their way, in Europe and how it’s the first time they are fundamentally ahead of the US in a key technology. Of course in reality it’s likely this will only last a few years (which no doubt accounts for some of their opportunism of late as well as the fact Western Nations are now substantially… Read more »
Ah, Crystal balls Spy. Crystal balls, if only we had some!
BAE is doing the integration, with LM funding it. They got the contract for being chubby friends with LM on the F-35 project, when it should have gone to MBDA.
That’s why its delayed.
Cheers Chris, Bae & LM why should we worry…….
Yep LM at work of course doing what they do best.
Which to me looks a lot like making money, for….LM!!!
This is not the baseline METEOR missile but a specific one. We can see in the images that at least the fins are shorter thus it will need a specific aerodynamic study and an adaptation of the flying software. Maybe the fixation and ejection mechanism in the F35 is also different. And being inside the plane maybe leads to specific constraints regrading thermal managements, missile batteries, …
Another reason to push on/accelerate development of “Project Tempest”.
Yup, could agree more Jack.
I wonder if there is anything in the report referring to Tempest or the UAV’s..?
Cheers CR
Future Combat Air System is mentioned in the report, this is what we know as Tempest.
Cancel Tempest and it will be the end of RR in UK.
… and Bae too in anything but as a US subsidiary and sell offs of the non core remnants of the business probably for the most part to foreign companies. Some future for Global Britain that would be.
That’s the aim. Where you from Jay R?
The Americans won’t sell their new Advanced Fighter to anyone, just like they wouldn’t with the F-22.
The Japanese were the only ones to try and they were politely but firmly rebuffed.
Its why Tempest has to go forward, otherwise we could end up (shudder) joining the French/German/Spanish fighter project…Urruugh, feel dirty just typing that!
Don’t even joke about it, let’s keep well away from that European train wreck!
Yeah indeed and as a very junior partner, again wiping out any major UK owned aviation capabilities eventually as Bae would far rather invest in its US capabilities than that scenario.
It seems short sightedness truly is a dominant gene.
I’m usually pessimistic about such projects, but Tempest is showing encouraging signs of keeping on target …. So far at least.
The current deteriorating relations with Russia and China might mean a considerable uplift in our defence posture and spending in SDSR 2025.
That would be a perfect timeline for Tempest….
As we have discussed many times, if Tempest is cancelled, then an advanced F35A variant is poised to jump into the gap, probably with an increased UK content and possibly UK assembly, especially if the number is 180 plus.
It’s very cute that you think we’re going to even get a sniff at the successor to the F22.
The Japanese know this from experience and have given up trying. And guess who they are working closely with now…
Since they get anything they want from US free of charge i’d have a wild guess it wouldn’t be Tempest.
Thats a bit like saying cancel Spitfire in 1938 and buying Tomahawks.Lol
I keep hoping they keep Tempest simple. What we need is an aircraft with the stealth and connectivity of F35A with domestic control of the code base and twice the range and none of the bulk….I am sure BAE with their Taranis experience could make it work. If that persistence is delivered with advanced RR VCE engines so much the better, but a new airframe and engines is usually a lot of risk…..
In the meantime a few more Typhoons. Perhaps twin seaters like the F/A 18s the Aussies are using with loyal wingman (for use with our own LANCA)
silly question, am I right to think an F35 would have to reduce air speed to release internal weapons, I suppose this would be true of any gen 5 aircraft.
That’s an interesting question from an internal weapons bay point of view in particular. The only thing I know about such matters was reading that one of the advantages of Brimstone over Hellfire was/is that it could be launched at supersonic speed. But that’s from Typhoons on external pylons, a very different proposition I’m sure.
The F35 family like all Military Aircraft should be able to Launch and Use it’s Weapons within all the limits of it’s Flight Envelope.
No. The weapon bay doors can and do open at supersonic speeds. AMRAAM can be fired at supersonic speeds to give it the maximum sling shot and extend it’s range and increasing the energy the weapon has when it enters it’s no escape zone envelop.
They open and close very quickly to minimise increasing the aircrafts radar cross section.
Does anyone know if the MOD have purchased additional AMRAAM as a stop gap? Or now that Typhoon has Meteor do we have spares laying around? Considering the lack of a Harpoon replacement I wouldn’t put it past the MOD to just not bother with medium range AAMs on F35 for the next 5+ years…
Yes,it has been discussed on here – https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-to-spend-650-million-on-200-aim-120d-amraam-missiles/
Raytheon will be pleased.
Great news if you are:
Russia
Chinese
Iranian
But on that note, I see BJs new 2 ice cream is one who is pro chinese.
‘Don’t shoot until I say so.’
Yet again more delay more excuses. Israel orders the f35 and has specific changes to it before they bought it. Why back in 2014 did we not intergrate the meteor then ? What’s the point in spending 80million plus on an aeroplane that does not fire your best missiles ? In effect all the F35 is only capable of bombing a few terrorists in Syria. At 65 years old I thought I will never see Tempest in service, I think if you under 45 you will be lucky to see it at all.
F35B has ASRAAM blk 5 & AMRAAM AIM120-D for A2A.
Didn’t ASRAAM have to have some design changes to fit internally or have I dreamt that.
AMRAAM is carried internally. ASRAAM is carried externally. 👍
The senate insists on None of this foreign stuff.
This is the USA defence industry having its lunch. Aiming to kill off the competition. Move along there nothing to see.
Exactly.
So what can F35 carry then? AMRAAM, ASRAAM and Paveway 4 and that’s it. Am I reading this correctly that Lockheed Martin has too much on its F35 plate and can’t accommodate UK requirements? Not good enough. One day all of our platforms will be American and we will control nothing!
Unfortunately Block 4 allows all the good stuff to be fitted. The only stand-off air to surface missile currently cleared for use is the JSAAM, everything else is unpowered glide munitions. I think I read that the aircraft was also cleared for HARM.
JASSM is not cleared for use on F-35 yet. JSOW is the longest ranged A2G munition at present. JASSM will arrive as part of Block IV like Meteor and Spear. JSM will also arrive then. The US/Turkish SOM-J has disappeared from the integration list as well (for obvious reasons).
And it took over 15 years to get StormShadow and Brimstone integrated on Typhoon. And would probably have been even longer if we didn’t retire Tornado GR4 back in 2019.
No gun pods have been procured or are planned to be.
Another day another slip. What’s new?
By the time the Meteor is on the Brit F-35s the American F-35s will already be carrying the successor to the AIM-120D.
More fiddling as Rome burns. Stuff we needed yesterday can wait it seems. Is this shambles what all that Russian money has bought?
Surely it’s time to get it done asap.
I see. We signed a contract and the outcome is that the contractual timescale cannot be met. Pity. Unfortunately, Bob down the road is a bit busy as well, so we have ourselves an expensive but pretty pup.
Total farce….
I’m not happy as we suppose get code independent but only outside US allowed got code is Israel, but British is one top tier 1 partner and more money pour that other nations and still got not got grant code. So this problem pop up not suspire as political and corporate historical screw British military. Repeated happen again now. Hope we learn in future not more deal with American, like AH64 E they force use hellfire variant when brimstone is better option. Only one thing good come perk benefits this, delay so can get Meteor next versions – (JNAAM) partner… Read more »
Its not the code thats holding up integration, its flight testing and simulated weapons drop. We are at the back of the queue for development aircraft flights because they waited so long before requesting it.
Ah make sense as testing is important as internal bay required lots of test. If British got code will make British can go own test?
Or got wait for Lockheed sort it regard code or not.
If Israel got the code and we didn’t, it just means our negotiation team was bad. That’s not the US firms problem, that is firmly at the feet of the MOD.
It is stupid really that MOD allowed this and waste money. Also I read other day MOD say plan b sea typhoon and bae replica to force them to allowed but political force this happen but it is still hand over USA many year and still soft by UK political should’ve work together MOD
Political shouldn’t involved The MOD even understand cos politics pay budget not MOD it is make difficult for them.