Britain has completed the first procurement phase of its F-35 programme with forty-eight F-35B Lightning jets delivered and operational with the Lightning Force, Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, has said, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Gregory Campbell, the DUP MP for East Londonderry, asked whether all F-35 Joint Program Office aircraft had been delivered and had been working operationally since delivery.
Pollard replied: “The first procurement phase for F-35 is complete. 48 F-35B Lightning have been delivered and are operational with the Lightning Force. The Defence Investment Plan provided funding for an additional twenty-seven F-35. We remain committed to procuring 138 F-35 Lightning aircraft across the life of the Programme.”
The UK Defence Journal has reported that ministers have given no timeline for reaching 138 jets, and that the government has left the door open to more F-35A purchases.
The next batch includes the RAF’s first F-35As, which will give the UK an airborne role in NATO’s nuclear mission.
