Against the backdrop of the latest NATO Summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the United Kingdom will move forward with the purchase of 12 new F-35A stealth fighter jets with nuclear capability, which will be added to the Royal Air Force’s inventory. The decision confirms earlier speculation reported at the start of this month, ahead of the release of the country’s Strategic Defence Review, which proposed the return of U.S. nuclear bombs to British bases to strengthen deterrence amid an increasingly complex international environment.
As stated by Prime Minister Starmer: “In an age of radical uncertainty, we can no longer take peace for granted. These aircraft will strengthen our Armed Forces and support communities across the country through our defense industry.” It is worth noting that the choice of the F-35A is far from arbitrary, as it is the only variant capable of deploying B61 nuclear bombs, which the U.S. Air Force stores in continental Europe— a capability not available to the F-35B or the Eurofighter jets also operated by the UK.
On the other hand, British media have reported that the new stealth fighters to be acquired by the country already have a designated base selected by Royal Air Force authorities, namely RAF Marham in Norfolk. Operating from there, the new F-35As will join the aircraft already in service as part of NATO’s Dual-Capable Aircraft (DCA) Program, which has long served as a nuclear umbrella led by the U.S. to deter potential threats.
RAF Marham was originally equipped with vaults for storing nuclear weapons, although it is currently unclear whether they remain operational. As a potential alternative, there is speculation that the new fighters could instead be stationed at RAF Lakenheath, which also hosts U.S. Air Force units and is known to have specialized storage sites for nuclear arms. This base is already undergoing modernization works supported by U.S. funding.
Beyond the bases where the dozen fighter jets sought by London could be stationed, the decision represents a significant step toward recovering strategic capabilities that had been lost with the withdrawal of the last U.S. nuclear weapons in 2008—from the aforementioned RAF Lakenheath. In terms of its own nuclear bombs, the United Kingdom lost such capabilities in 1998, when the aging WE.177 bombs were decommissioned. Since then, the country has relied solely on its submarine fleet equipped with Trident II missiles for its nuclear deterrence, lacking any air-deliverable alternatives.
Returning to Prime Minister Starmer’s remarks, it is also important to highlight that with the purchase of its new F-35As, the United Kingdom expects to sustain more than 20,000 jobs in its defense industrial base, involving over 100 companies in the production process of the aircraft. In addition, British officials emphasized that acquiring this variant of the aircraft allows for cost reductions compared to the F-35Bs currently in service. In fact, unit cost savings of up to 25% have been mentioned—a relevant figure given the government’s commitment to invest up to 5% of GDP in defense, in line with NATO’s request.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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