UK to buy 12 F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons

Downing Street says the purchase will be the ‘biggest strengthening of the UK’s nuclear posture in a generation’.

The United Kingdom plans to buy at least a dozen F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, in what will be the “biggest strengthening of the UK’s nuclear posture in a generation”, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office says.

Starmer will make an announcement about the purchase, which will allow the UK’s air force to carry nuclear weapons for the first time since the end of the Cold War, at the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday, where NATO leaders are expected to approve a major boost to their defence spending.

The UK’s nuclear deterrence capability is currently limited to submarine-launched missiles.

“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,” Starmer said in a statement.