The UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) has reported that issues with the UK’s F-35 stealth fighter acquisition programme are “undermining” the country’s warfighting capabilities, amid multiple delays and an overall cost shortfall of more than £50bn ($67.8bn).
Taking first delivery of the first of a commitment for 138 F-35B fifth-generation stealth fighters in 2012, more than a decade later the current fleet stands at just 37 aircraft, with a further 10 on order. In 2021, one F-35B was lost in an accident during carrier operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Published on 11 July, the NAO report revealed that there is no timetable for the acquisition of the remaining 90 airframes, a situation that has been even more confused with a recent decision by the UK government to purchase 12 conventional take-off F-35A variants, in what is a significant win for the Royal Air Force (RAF).
It is well understood that the RAF would have preferred a split A and B model acquisition from the outset, with the vertical-landing capable F-35B dedicated to carrier-borne operations.
The current B force is operated in a joint structure by both RAF and Royal Navy combat air squadrons.
It should be noted the RAF’s Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton has been announced as the next Chief of the Defence Staff, due to take up his new role in September 2025 after incumbent former First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin leaves the position.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe MoD expects its F-35 aircraft to remain in service until 2069, the same year that the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are due to be retired from service.
UK F-35 fighter: superior, but late and lacking
The NAO report, framing the F-35 as being “significantly superior to any previous UK aircraft”, casts a dim light on the fielding of the platform by the UK, with full delivery of the first batch of 48 aircraft behind schedule due to financial pressures and global programme issues.
“This means that the MoD now expects to declare Full Operating Capability at the end of 2025, two years later than planned, and with several gaps against its initial requirements,” the NAO stated.
Capability gaps include the long-awaited integration of UK missiles such as the SPEAR 3, which is now delayed until the 2030s, and problems with the Block IV upgrade programme.
Some issues are not totally the fault of the UK, such as with the Block IV upgrade, while the global programme in 2023 delivering 91% of aircraft and 100% of engines late.
It is known that mission capable rates, defined as the ability of an aircraft to perform at least one of seven possible missions, is approximately half of the UK MoD’s target. This metric falls further still to the full mission capable rate (being able to perform all mission) at just one-third of the requirement.
Among suspected causes for this are a shortage of UK F-35 engineers and a global shortage of F-35 spare parts, that have compounded UK-specific problems.
As a result of the lack of mission availability, the UK MoD introduced a 25% reduction in flying requirements, down from 10 hours per month to 7.5 hours.
UK MoD’s public F-35 costs not even close
Perhaps most damning in the NAO report is its estimate that the whole-life cost of the F-35 programme to the UK would be £71bn, nearly four-times the MoD’s forecast programme cost of £18.76bn that has been publicly reported.
To date, the UK MoD has spent £11bn to date on its F-35 programme – more than it has reported, and more than it anticipated it would spend at the time of the 2013 business case, the NAO stated.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “The F-35 programme offers significantly improved capability and considerable economic benefits to the UK. But the capability benefits are not being fully realised due to delays, infrastructure gaps, and personnel shortages.
“The MoD now needs to decide where to prioritise its resources to improve capability in a way that maximises the full benefits of the F-35 programme to the UK.”
One silver lining to the report concerns the wider economic benefits to the UK, with the country’s aerospace sector manufacturing at least 15% by value of all F-35 aircraft delivered globally, even though the MoD is buying under 5% of total production.
As a result, this has seen £22bn in contracts for UK companies.
