Key Points and Summary – The UK’s F-35 program is being “undermined” by “disastrous” short-term budget decisions, according to a new report from Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
-These decisions have reportedly “tripled” the program’s long-term cost to £71 billion and left the fleet “undercapable” and “understrength.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Melanie “Mach” Kluesner, pilot of the F-35A Demonstration Team, performs aerial maneuvers at the Sun ‘n Fun Airshow in Lakeland, Florida, April 1, 2025. The team travels across the country to demonstrate the unmatched capabilities of the F-35A Lightning II and highlight the skill of U.S. Air Force pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper)
-The jets “lack essential capabilities,” like the Spear missile, which is blocked by the F-35’s Block 4 software update—now delayed five years to 2031.
-The report also found the UK “failed to anticipate” the need for engineers, operating with “nearly double” the personnel gap of the U.S. Marines.
The F-35 Is in Trouble in the United Kingdom
There’s been a lot of attention paid lately to which countries are buying F-35 fighter jets, whether it’s Canada continuing to deliberate whether to go ahead with its purchase of jets, or the possibility that Saudi Arabia might become the latest, unlikely country to get into the F-35 game.
But what of the jet’s place in the U.K.?
According to the official F-35 website, “Every time an F-35 takes flight anywhere in the world, the UK is part of the mission. As one of the original partners in the F-35 Lightning II programme, the UK plays a vital role in delivering the world’s most advanced fighter jet.”
More than 100 Tier 1 British suppliers, the website says, contribute to every F-35 that is built, with BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, and Martin-Baker among the suppliers.
The jet also, per the site, “provides the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy with 5th Generation capability to execute complex missions worldwide and deliver interoperability with NATO and allied forces.”
An aircraft from the U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team arrives at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 19, 2023, in advance of the Thunder Over Louisville air show. The annual event, to be held along the banks of the Ohio River on April 22, will feature more than 20 military and civilian aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)
The first F-35 was delivered to the U.K. in 2012, with its first UK vertical landing two years later. They arrived for permanent basing at RAF Marham in 2018, and in recent years, the jets have participated in such exercises as CSG 2021, Steadfast Defender, and CSG 2025.
In June of this year, the government announced that it would be procuring F-35As, while also joining the NATO nuclear mission.
The new jets, the announcement said, would be based at RAF Marham.
“In an era of radical uncertainty, we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my government is investing in our national security, ensuring our Armed Forces have the equipment they need and communities up and down the country reap the benefits from our defence dividend,” British Prime Minister Kier Starmer said when the procurement was announced.
However, a new report hints that the role of that fighter jet in the U.K. may be about to change.
A Change in Posture
According to a report by the UK Defense Journal, which cited evidence shown to the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee, Britain’s “Level one partnership” is now closer to that of a “specialist ally.”
Dr. Sophy Antrobus of King’s College London told the House of Lords, per the report, that the “level one partnership was for the systems development and demonstration part of the programme,” which is in the past. “We are now equal partners in the production and in-service phases.”
F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II takes off for a mission during U.S. Air Force Weapons School Integration (WSINT) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 3, 2025. WSINT serves as the culminating exercise for U.S. Air Force Weapons School students, bringing together air, space, and cyber forces in realistic, mission-critical training scenarios that mirror the complexities of modern warfare. Conducted twice a year, the integration event tests multi-domain operations and strengthens joint force interoperability, enhancing combat readiness across the spectrum of military operations over the Nevada Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
Nellis AFB; ACC; Las Vegas; Nellis Air Force Base; contentcollectionweek; readiness; US Air Force Weapons School; WSINT
“Although we do not have that status anymore, it still contributes to our standing,” Dr. Antrobus told the House of Lords.
Another witness, meanwhile, said that the U.K. is now ordering fewer F-35s than many other nations.
“Italy, Japan, Norway and the Netherlands all operate more jets than we do,” Dr Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute told the Lords. “Our participation in many practical areas has fallen significantly short of where our initial commitments were.”
The U.K., however, maintains access to the Australia Canada United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory, where it can “modify mission data and electronic warfare files, capabilities not granted to most other partners.”
“Australia is increasingly competing with the UK for the most preferred partner spot,” Bronk told the Lords, per UK Defence Journal. “It has more aircraft, flies them nearly twice as much, and is a constant presence in the Indo-Pacific.”
A Spending Blunder?
Meanwhile, as reported by The Register, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is “being criticized for undermining its F-35 stealth fighter program through years of short-term budget decisions that have increased long-term costs and left the fleet understrength and undercapable.”
The report comes from Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), and it follows a similar report this summer from the National Audit Office.
The Audit Office report, per The Register, concluded that the “F-35 stealth fighter is not meeting its potential in British service because of availability issues, a shortage of support personnel, and delays in integrating key weapons that are limiting the aircraft’s effectiveness.”
It follows a report in the U.S., earlier this fall, finding that every single F-35 in 2024 was delivered late. And that has contributed to the problems in the U.K. program.
“The UK’s F-35 force lacks essential capabilities, including a stand-off weapon to attack ground targets from a safe distance,” The Register reported, citing the PAC report. “The Spear missile is ready but awaits integration through Lockheed Martin’s Block 4 software update — now delayed until 2031, five years behind schedule.”
Whole-life cost estimates, meanwhile, “have tripled to £57 billion ($75 billion), excluding personnel, fuel, and infrastructure, which push the National Audit Office’s estimate to £71 billion ($93 billion).”
“During our inquiry, the MoD told us that they viewed these kinds of decisions costing the taxpayer many millions more in the long-term than the money saved in the short term, as a ‘conventional consequence’ of budget management. This is exactly the sort of attitude that our committee exists to challenge,” PAC’s Chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said in the Register report.
The British F-35 program is also, per the report, low on engineers.
“During a 2021 joint deployment, the US Marines operated with nearly double the personnel per aircraft compared to the Royal Navy — a gap the MoD failed to anticipate,” the report said.
The report was also critical of the F-35A decision, announced earlier this year.
“The ministry has not disclosed its preferred mix of F-35A and carrier-capable F-35B models, potentially impacting the Royal Navy’s ability to field sufficient jets from its two aircraft carriers.”
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 8, 2017) The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth II sails in formation alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) during exercise Saxon Warrior 2017, Aug. 8. Saxon Warrior is a United States and United Kingdom co-hosted carrier strike group exercise that demonstrates interoperability and capability to respond to crises and deter potential threats. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tristan B. Lotz/Released)
A big reason for the trouble, per the Register report, appears to be the considerable budget pressures on the U.K. government in recent years.
“Making short-term cost decisions is famously inadvisable if you’re a homeowner with a leaky roof, let alone if one is running a complex fighter jet program – and yet such decisions have been rife in the management of the F-35,”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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