The Ministry of Defence has confirmed the projected retirement dates for all Royal Air Force aircraft, offering a long-term view of future fleet transitions as part of the UK’s evolving air power strategy.
In a written response to Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, Defence Minister Maria Eagle provided a full breakdown of out-of-service dates for each RAF aircraft type.
The F-35 Lightning is expected to remain in service the longest, with a projected retirement date of 2069, reflecting its role as the RAF’s premier fifth-generation stealth fighter.
Other key platforms will continue to serve well into the 2040s, including the A400M Atlas (2050), C-17 Globemaster (2040), Chinook (2040), Typhoon (2040), and the new Protector drone (2040). The Poseidon P-8 maritime patrol aircraft is scheduled to retire in 2045, while Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft are expected to leave service in 2035.
Several platforms are set to exit much sooner. The MQ-9 Reaper will be retired this year (2025), as it is replaced by the more advanced Protector system. The Shadow ISR aircraft and Hawk T1 jet trainer will depart in 2030, with the latter gradually phased out as the RAF shifts focus to newer training platforms.
These projections form part of the UK’s broader Defence Command Paper goals to modernise its combat air capabilities while enhancing integration with allied forces.
Planned RAF Out-of-Service Dates (OSDs):
- Atlas A400M – 2050
- C-17 Globemaster – 2040
- Chinook – 2040
- F-35 Lightning II – 2069
- Hawk T1 – 2030
- Hawk T2 – 2040
- Poseidon MRA1 – 2045
- Protector RG Mk1 – 2040
- RC-135 Rivet Joint – 2035
- Reaper MQ-9 – 2025
- Shadow R1 – 2030
- Typhoon FGR4 – 2040
- Viking glider – 2028
This is terrible news, why oh why are they scrapping the Vikings ? It doesn’t make sense at all.
I’d love to see a dogfight between a glider and a Eurofighter
Maybe with Tom Cruise at the helm the Eurofighter might stand a chance but even he has his limits.
Busy, busy in the lead up to 2040.
Surprised by a few thing there…
– Rivet Joint OSD in 10 years time. We’be only just got it, can we really be replacing expensive aircraft on a 15 year cycle,?
– Shadow being retired in 5 years time. The last story was that we would acquiring two more and upgrading the current six to Shadow 2 standard. It is a very capable electronic recon aircraft, I don’t think there’s an off-the-shelf drone that could do the same job.
– Hawk 2 soldiering on until 2040? They better announce a new engine if it is going to remain in service for another 15 years.
– Viking gliders being retired in 3 years time. They are used by the air cadets to get some air experience to whet their appetite for an RAF career. A valuable, inexpensive capability. There’s not much that can go wrong on a glider, wonder why we are rushing them to the exit door? Another slice off the MOD salami? Or are the cadets to get a new glider? Hope the latter.
Typhoon in 2040 looks like wishful thinking to me.. so they are going to have commissioned designed, built the prototypes, tested moved production, stood up the test and evaluation squadron, then the OCU then 6-7 front line tempest squadrons all by 2040… I smell so much BS
If I could just point out the first typhoon flew in 1994 and the final RAF typhoon squadron stood up in 2019… that’s 25 years from prototype to final squadron deployment.. so how the hell the RAF plan to have transitioned from typhoon to tempest only 5 years after the planned date for the first production models I have no idea.. I suspect there is a very good chance the RAF will be trying to nurse airframe hours out of typhoons in 2050.
I tend to agree Jonathan
USAF/USN currently project F-35 OSD to be 2088, an interesting delta from RAF/RN projections of OSD during 2069. One can only hope LM delvers fully functioning Block 4 hardware/software upgrade before either OSD. Conservatively, betting the later date. 🤔🤞😱😉🇬🇧🇺🇸
…delivers…🙄
if the last few have proved anything need to keep Reapers going, even if just for EEZ patrolling especially places like FI where not massive air traffic
Reaper gone this year?
I think we’ve only had a handful of the replacement protector drones delivered so far, and not sure they’ve even reached IOC.
Another capability gap…
it’s a bad decision -plenty of hours left in those Reaper airframes (IMHO)
Yes, and I hope they go into storage rather than being scrapped. But I suspect they will ultimately be traded back to general atomics as part of the protector purchase deal.
Not bad for Hawk T Mk1s 1976-2030. 54yrs of service.
I would imagine a replacement for the globemaster will be bought by many nations and be in the development phase fairly soon?
It’s a fantastic bit of kit and has been a true workhorse.
Barring breakthroughs in medical science, my own projected out-of-service date predates most of these… sobering thought. 😮
I suspect the MOD are going to need to start eliminating vast quantities of wastage from the development lifecycle of military kit and quickly. We will need stuff in months not years or decades and this will require root and branch reform otherwise we might well end up with no kit at all.