The United Kingdom was waiting for an invincible hunt. Today, the F-35 flies little and cannot shoot its own weapons

He F-35b Lightning It is one of the most advanced fighters in the world. It has low observability when radar can take off in short distances and land vertically, and is designed to operate from Terrestrial Bases and Bases. You can execute Aire-Aire, air-surface, electronic warfare and intelligence in parallel missions. On paper, the United Kingdom was going to turn it into the cornerstone of its aerial power, With 138 planned units and a service horizon until 2069.

But reality goes behind that ambition. A new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) He has just documented in detail a series of problems that drag the program: from sustained delays to capabilities yet to be integrated. The result is a much less solid photograph than expected a decade ago. And that opens uncomfortable questions about costs, efficacy and planning.

F-35b, promises and delays

As we said, the F-35B Lightning is the short take-off version and vertical landing of hunting by the United States The Joint Strike Fighter program. United Kingdom chose this variant To replace your Harrier and operate from the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. You can fly to more than Mach 1.6, reach 50,000 feet of altitude and execute multiple types of mission.

Its strong point is in the fusion of sensors and in the ability to share data in real time with other platforms. Unlike previous generations, the F-35B not only acts as an attack vector, but as a network intelligence node. In 2012 the first units arrived in the country, with Raf Marham as the main base.

United Kingdom has invested at least 11,000 million pounds (about 12.6 billion euros) until March 2025, According to the National Audit Office. And yet, the level of operational capacity reached is lower than the ministry expected in 2013.

The postponement of the total operational capacity (FOC) of 2023 at the end of 2025 implies that the F -35b have not yet reached the degree of maturity necessary to operate with full capacity. According to the NAO, the flight hours accumulated in 2024 were lower than those required, which limits the preparation of crews and the real availability of the fleet for intensive missions.

In addition, the plane is currently limited in armament. Today only the guided pump Paveway IV and the Air-Aire Amraam AIM-13D, According to the RAF technical file. NAO confirms that the integration of British Meteor and Spear 3 missiles It has been postponed until the early 2030. In practice, this means that the F -35B cannot yet execute attacks from long distance with state -of -the -art weapons, such as its original strategic purpose.

There are also structural limitations. As The Register has pointed outthe short take -off design and vertical landing (Stovl) imposes significant restrictions on the payload and at the operational reach of the plane, something that conditions its effectiveness in demanding combat scenarios. This assessment is not part of the official NAO report, but it does reflect a usual concern among several specialists. To all this, the cost of full life cycle could reach 71,000 million pounds (about 81.9 billion euros).

The problems are not alone

Although the F-35B is already in operational use, the figures reveal a compromised capacity. In 2024, only around one third of the fleet was available to execute all the expected missions. Part of the problem is structural: the United Kingdom has failed to cover all the necessary positions to operate and maintain the system. Engineers are scarceand prolonged displays in aircraft carrier make many fate F-35 as unattractive.

The supply of pieces is not guaranteed either. The global logistics system, managed from the United States, has not grown at the same pace as the international fleet. That has generated bottlenecks, delays in deliveries and an excessive dependence on temporary solutions. Although during the deployment of Carrier Strike Group of 2025 the availability rates were improved, everything indicates that these levels may not be maintained once the operation is finished.

Despite delays, costs and availability problems, the United Kingdom retains an outstanding role within the International F-35 program. He was the only level 1 partner to join the United States -led program and maintains 38 members of the Ministry of Defense Integrated in the central team of the project in Washington, more than any other country. This implication has given tangible results: British companies manufacture at least 15 % of the value of each unit produced.

An eye on the future

While the F-35 still faces limitations, the United Kingdom already promotes its own next generation project: The Tempest huntintegrated since December 2022 in the multinational program Global Combat Air Program (GCAP)together with Italy and Japan.

This effort, led by BAE Systems (United Kingdom), Leonardo (Italy) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan), aims to develop a Sixth generation furtive plane for 2035with prototypes flying before 2028. The headquarters of the program is based in the United Kingdom.

Since its origin, it has been raised as an open architecture platform, with engines, plane, sensors and weapons developed under national control, seeking greater technological autonomy with respect to the US. Despite optimism, there are still tensions. Italy has expressed concern about the lack of transparency in the technological transfer from the United Kingdom.

Images | Raf (1, 2), | Adrian Pingstone | BAE Systems

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