A video released by Andrew Snowden MP has sparked bemusement after he accused Labour of misunderstanding fighter aircraft while misidentifying one himself in the same video.
The short video, filmed outside BAE Systems’ Warton site, features the Conservative MP asking: “Do you know the difference between a Typhoon and an F-35″ before accusing a former Labour Defence Minister of not knowing.
Do you know the difference between a Typhoon and an F-35? ✈️
Do you know the difference between a Typhoon and an F-35? ✈️
The Typhoon is a British-built fighter jet, supporting 6,000 jobs at Warton and securing the future of UK sovereign defence. The F-35, on the other hand, is largely American, with only a small portion produced here in the UK. 🛠️
We need to keep up the pressure for British aircraft, British skills, and British jobs. Every Typhoon ordered strengthens our local communities and ensures the UK remains a global leader in combat air. 🇬🇧
Posted by Andrew Snowden MP on Friday, September 26, 2025
He goes on to describe Tempest as “the future of global combat air,” while the footage on screen shows an F/A-18… an American fighter unrelated to the UK’s combat air programmes. An amazingly ironic blunder and observers were quick to point out the error.
The Tempest project, led by BAE Systems with Leonardo and Rolls-Royce, is part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a multinational effort involving the UK, Italy, and Japan to develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft by the mid-2030s. The F/A-18, built by Boeing, is a decades-old fourth-generation design.
The gaffe came after the UK confirmed plans to acquire 12 F-35A aircraft, instead of more Typhoons, in addition to its existing F-35B fleet. The F-35A, which has greater range and payload capacity, will support NATO’s nuclear-capable aircraft role, while the F-35B continues to operate from the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.
Snowden’s video was intended to highlight British aerospace capability and criticise Labour’s perceived lack of understanding. Instead, it drew attention to how easily politicians of all parties can stumble when discussing complex defence procurement programmes.
The mix-up is a reminder that the details matter, especially when billions of pounds and strategic credibility are involved.
I’m happier that an MP is engaging with the defence debate at all.
Yes, whoever edited the video used the wrong footage.
At least this starts a debate that can be fed into.
The whole argument around buying the ALPHA variant is very suspect when not enough of the BRAVO variant are held for the taskings.
There is also a valid point around why APLHA were bought rather than Typhoon and instead creating make-work to keep skills alive ready for TEMPEST.
I am interested civilian and there should not be barriers to British public who want to know more. Was thinking ukdj could usefully have a section which decodes all the military alphabet jargon. This website is great having former and probably serving military personnel so don’t want to spoil their enjoyment either but uk military needs to win over more support from the country as well and make its case heard.
Great idea the level of jargon has been up to eleven of late. Find myself joining in at times just to be mishievous. 😇😈
Hello Simon, I doubt most non Civies on here actually know what most of these mean, It’s normally the Civies that seem to know. (looking at you DM 👀😁!!!!)
Personally I like looking them up when the “Un Known Defence Journal” writes them. 😁
There’s a helpful PDF on the internet that gets published by the MoD and includes every acronym they use.
The problem is, it runs to 170 pages (IIRC) and even some of the 4 letter ones have multiple meanings.
Maybe they could Abbrieviate it ? 😁
Google –
“MOD acronyms and abbreviations”
Definitions for MOD acronyms and abbreviations
Source: GOV.UK.
It’s the MAA, not to be confused with …
MAA – Master At Arms (Royal Navy)
MAA – Master-at-Arms
MAA – Mission Area Analysis
MAA – Monitoring Angle of Attack
“…whoever edited the video used the wrong footage.”
Exactly. Probably someone on this guy’s constituency office staff who doesn’t know one aircraft from another screwed up. Tempest in a teapot!
Although I agree more Typhoon should be purchased both from a defence and a skills retention point of view.
The reason they are buying the F35Svariant is very simple. It is an off the shelf solution to the UK re aquiring tactical weapons capability. If we went with the typhoon then they would need to go through the whole very length weapons integration and testing.
But at the end of that integration and testing (and obviously creating the weapon in the first place) we would have an independent capability rather than just adding a handful of extra F35As to the already large pool of them in Europe that could deliver a US weapon, subject to US agreement.
Feeds into the fact politicians are a/ defence blind b/ thick as mince and c/ more interested in soundbite than UK defence.
The F35A is for Nato nuclear tactical use, not for sovereign UK use. It cannot refuel from Voyager. As for the rest? Once you accept the UK is totally banjaxed in most areas? You have reached reality. A condition that most seem to deny.
I find that a very strange analysis.
UK CSG is a few short investment steps away from being very, very useful to UK and NATO.
We’ve also sorted the T45 issues so those are superb assets and we have T26 in production – a universally loved design.
Other NATO countries do the freefall bomb thing so I’ve no idea, and nobody else has, any idea why UK getting involved adds anything to anything. It just dilutes focus on one if the things we have invested in very heavily.
Politics, SB! What else did Starmer have to offer in Paris? We are not expanding our military like other nations, just talking and Grandstanding.
12 As made headlines, which was the intent. As you know, they will mostly be used for training.
Starmer should be laughed out of town at NATO, but isn’t, for one simple reason.
We have Trident.
I seem to be the only one on here who thinks buying the A version for N bombing is a sound Idea.
It’s got the all important Stealth where others dont.
It also gives another threat which focuses minds.
Having said that though, We really should buy more Typhoons and B’s, Can’t understand the lack of numbers given the current threats.
Hi mate.
I think it a great idea if:
It did not come at the expense of the B. Which it does, affecting Carrier Strike.
More than 12 were ordered.
We had our own bomb.
We could refuel them ourselves.
Without those, it is gesture politics so typical of HMG.
Well ok then, It was a crap Idea !!! 😁
You sometimes layer the sarcasm on so liberally it’s hard to know what you think without referencing previous postsl the capitalization here was capital.
The two best things to be said for the F-35A announcement was first, that it was just an announcement. Second that it won’t be quite as disasterous as it first seems. It depends on the size of the OCU. How many more planes overall will it need to cope with the fact that an A can’t always train for a B, and that once or twice a year half a dozen Alphas will stop training pilots and go play nuclear with their NATO buddies? If it’s not too many, the damage will be limited.
I suppose the worst thing about the F-35A announcement was also that is was just an announcement. When will MOD order some new fighters?
What do you mean “Sometimes” 😁😁
I’m with you on this. Completely pointless expenditure on a “capabilty” that we do not need and will lead to us having fewer B version. Probably suits Starmer though when goes off to Washington again to lick a certain persons you know what….
I suspect you might find a lot of us have reached reality. Some of us just aspire to more, so feel free to criticise us for our rampant hopefulness if you want.
First of I agree with supportive any MP highlighting defence is good and I’m not really bothered about a cut and paste mistake if the message is correct but…
As usual this MP is only focusing on a simplified question and creating a this or that reductionist argument.. F35Bs and Typhoons are vital for UK capacity not one or other and we have about 50 to few of each realistically ( we should have 250 single seat fast jets) … so that should be his point of debate, but he knows his party is as weak on this as labour so will only argue for how the reducing pie is cut not how it will grow…
No news really I bet we can all find mistakes in any video online.
I have an idea that probably sounds stupid and I will probably get a few answers (and will be happy)
What about creating squadrons of let’s say something like tucano as anti drone interception units?
What are the pros and cons??
Thanks everyone and have a good Sunday.
Lack of radar. Speed, endurance, defensive aids, secure comms and datalinks to name just a few. Just because some drones are relatively simple machines. Doesn’t mean they are easy to intercept.
Hi mate.
All true, but some are. Did you see that footage from Ukraine with the ww2 vintage nusiance prop and a passanger with a shotgun or something?
Flew alongside or behind and above, got quite a few if footage to be believed.
Hi mate. No I didn’t see that one. I did see the USAF test firing laser guided rockets from a F15E for a lower cost option for downing drones.
Heath Robinson in the extreme, but in UKR case they’ll need all they can get.
Hello, good question really, I just think It’s impossible to know where any Drone attack might happen and You’d need an enormous amount of Tucano’s and pilots dotted around this “Small!” (it’s not actually) Island(s).
Thanks for the good Sunday wishes, I was getting all geared up for an epic ride down to the South Coast but the Wife said She’d prefer if i cleaned the toilets and Shower !
Current thinking is, Why did I get Married and why did I buy a house with Toilets and Showers.
Great Britain is in the top ten largest islands in the world by area and in the top three by population.
Unless your wife just wants to watch you suffer, there’s an easy compromise. Take the trip and shell out for a cleaner. If you are going to pay for what you want as treat, no reason not to pay for what she wants too.
You see the bit where I said “Small” and then the bit in brackets where I said “It’s not actually” ? That was me being sarcastic with the words used by Putin some years back.
The bit where I thanked the person for the good sunday wishes was just a bit of humour.
Ah yes, the eternal question posed! I am longer married, clean my own shower and toilet when I want to and get to play with my TVR, Rovers and motorcycles. Hate cooking though….
Saw one flying around Conway valley, very nimble. Small drones I understand are hard to detect and cannot give reference but I heard that Ukraine has a microphone network which hears them coming in and they triangulate the position. Maybe a role for Tucano??
Well spits and hurricanes relied on ground radar and observer corps. ,something like this will happen…
Let’s face it 5 years ago nobody believed we would have seen trenches in Europe again.
They haven’t decided to order F35A instead of more Typhoons. The just haven’t ordered more Typhoons.
Yes Robert, that whole statement is wrong, F35B’s are not just for Carriers either.
I see the Irony in the Article about the Irony !
It exposes the incompetence of his aids, surely.
If you’re making a military related video, shouldn’t someone have sought professional advice?
I’m a nobody, and Id have told them for £20. Bargin.
As an ex Tory voter, they have not a leg to stand on regards Defence. But the MP will be as clueless on that as any other.
Aides. Please can we get an edit function back.
He’s a back-bench opposition MP. I wondered, do they even get aides? I was surrised to read “most MPs employed between three and five full-time-equivalent (FTE) staff (around 75%), and that all 650 MPs employed at least one.” Around 3600 across all MPs.
I confess my previous ignorance. I had no idea it was that many. Even if you assume a couple are there to run their schedule and constituency business, there’s still room left over for some competent research beyond the generally very good publications from the HoC library.
I had not really considered how many before, other than that they exist.
Sadly this is increasingly the result of YouTubing where even interesting military subject matter is plagued by stock and inaccurate visual content. Worse still it is breeding from the disinterested jobsworths to Ai agents tasked with filling verbal content quickly with associated visual ‘lift music’ what with YouTube being so poor in content profitability. Laziness is expanding exponentially as a result with the added argument that the general public won’t notice anyway or aren’t worth the effort. As someone who hated those war films where all manner of mismatched military aircraft were exploited I might have hoped ai would actually improve the matter but it’s someway off I fear as its still lacking and seems to be inheriting the lazy-ness from humans.
Thanks everyone, I’ll keep thinking.. 😆
Also interesting that, as usual, the wider plight of the military is lost to MPs over the jobs angle.
So although they represent their constituencies, they are hopeless for wider improvements.
Its not even correct to say a Typhoon is a ‘British’ aircraft, if the implication is that the aircraft is completely British built. No mention of the German/Spanish and Italian involvement in building Typhoon/Eurofighters.
I can generally forgive that one for the greater point, contrast and brevity purposes mind. Most British aircraft early WW1 used French engines but we don’t call them multinational collaborations.
Well spits and hurricanes relied on ground radar and observer corps. ,something like this will happen…
Let’s face it 5 years ago nobody believed we would have seen trenches in Europe again.
Typical of both parties. One of the reasons defence is such a mess right now.
Typhoon is only 37% British built too. To be fair that’s more than the 15% for F35Bs or 9% for F35As, but is also misleading to claim it is purely British built.
If the RAF want A’s then by some A’s and leave it out with the training/nuclear excuses. We all know that Tempest, if it arrives at all, will be late and won’t work for a few years.
If we really want back into the nuclear strike role, buy twelve B21s.
Is there any footage that could reasonably be used to represent ‘Tempest’, given that there are no 6th generation aircraft in production at present?
Yes. from 1944-5.
It’s only a matter of time before someone uses it !
Honestly not sure why we’re buying the F35A. At the moment it has some more capability than the F35B in terms of range etc. but in a few years that will be gone when Tempest comes online and then we’ll be left with 2 types of F35 and not enough for the carriers.
It would have made alot of sense to have built the carriers with CATOBAR and then we could have bought E2s rather than still be trying to sort out an AEW solution over a decade later and the F35B would have had most of the increased capability of the F35A. (Plus perhaps Tempest could have been designed carrier capable). Although bear in mind that neither is capable of STOVL like the harrier which is what the F35B was designed and built to replace, Ukraine has demonstrated the necessity for moving aircraft around and distributed basing, only likely to get worse in the future.
Similarly buying some more Gen4 typhoons would have made sense to me – there are alot of old typhoon airframes that could have been sold or taken out of service, as it is the RAF is going to be flying them for even longer.
At the moment there are only 2 things that buying the F35A says to me – the RAF is winning the inter service rivalry again, buying aircraft that the Navy can’t use. Alternaively they are buying F35As in before cancelling tempest and switching completely to the F35A…. Which I really hope is not true.
It’s all been done to death for decades now mate.
Although a small comedic error, it does make you wonder if this is the reason politicians and are such a mess. There is a disregard for detail and insufficient fact checking before pushing a button.