Last week, a meeting of the Defense Aviation Procurement Committee was held in the UK. As part of the event, Marshal Sir Richard Knighton provided an update on the delivery of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter.
What is known
The marshal confirmed that the Royal Air Force of Great Britain received 30 aircraft in the F-35B modification, i.e. short takeoff and vertical landing. By 2025, the number of fighters will increase to 48 units.
The UK does not plan to stop there. The Ministry of Defense and the government have committed themselves to increase the number of aircraft to 74 pieces. They will be delivered as part of the Tranche 2 batch. Lockheed Martin will start delivering these fighters at the end of this decade. The process will drag on until the early 2030s.
Britain’s original plan was to buy 148 F-35Bs. Members of the Committee questioned the need to seek to acquire so many fighters.
Richard Knighton said that 74 aircraft are enough to fulfill NATO’s obligation to patrol the airspace. The final decision regarding further purchases of the F-35B will be made in the middle of the next decade.
Source: UKDJ
2023-05-25 22:05:44
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