Delays in confirming future orders of the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL)-capable Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter could leave the RAF only able to field a single squadron for combat air operations, British MPs have been warned.
In written evidence to the UK Parliament’s Defence Select Committee’s inquiry into military aviation procurement, Northrop Grumman warned that by not yet committing to going beyond the current order of 48 F-35Bs could have serious consequences. While the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has indicated that it is preparing to order a further 16 aircraft from the next production block, it has not yet formally submitted an order or approved funding for the purchase.
US-based Northrop Grumman provides key systems for the F-35, including the communications, navigation and identification suite, the AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and significant portions of the aircraft’s structure. In its evidence, the firm said: “The IR/DCP [Integrated Review/Defence Command Plan] was equivocal about F-35 numbers in that an increase in numbers beyond the current 48 was announced but the scale and timing of the increase was not. The UK benefits…