UK considers cuts or delay to F-35A nuclear-capable fighter jet plan

Britain is reportedly weighing whether to cut or delay plans to acquire 12 F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, as part of ongoing discussions over the government’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

Serious conversations are taking place at senior levels within the UK government and military over the future of the £1 billion programme, announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year, The Telegraph has learned.

The F-35A jets are capable of carrying the U.S.-made B61 tactical nuclear bomb, offering a lower-yield option compared to Britain’s existing Trident nuclear system. The aircraft would complement the UK’s planned fleet of 138 F-35B jets, which are carrier-based but not nuclear-capable.

According to defence sources, the programme is now under review as ministers attempt to balance competing defence priorities amid budget constraints and delays to the Defence Investment Plan, which has been held up by funding disputes between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury.

One defence source said the issue remains unresolved: “Ministers and very senior officers have been working through the weekend on this. None of them are finding it particularly easy.”

Another senior RAF source warned that any delay or cancellation could weaken Britain’s deterrence posture: “We have got to walk the walk of the talk we talk. The Government has to match word, thought and deed. Anything they do or do not do will be picked apart by Moscow,” they added.

By Sabina Mammadli