UK Inquiry Tracker

The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry

Opened: 10 Jul 2025 Parliament page

The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft, which is able to enter contested environments undetected. As part of a US-led programme, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) purchased and is using the F-35b variant, which can operate from land and aircraft carriers. The UK publicly committed to purchasing 138 F-35 … Read more The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft, which is able to enter contested environments undetected. As part of a US-led programme, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) purchased and is using the F-35b variant, which can operate from land and aircraft carriers. The UK publicly committed to purchasing 138 F-35 aircraft from the global F-35 programme in 2006, and currently expects to have received 48 aircraft by the end of 2025. Of the eight international partners under US-led global programme, the UK has the biggest commitment to the F-35 outside of the US’ own services. The MoD estimates that the F-35 fleet will cost more than £18bn over its life. The PAC reported in June 2025 that defence scrutiny was being obstructed, with the unacceptable continuing lack of a Equipment Plan meaning that the public still lacked a reliable assessment of whether government’s defence spending plans were affordable. The PAC found in 2021 that the defence procurement system was “broken,” following which the MoD created the new role of National Armaments Director (NAD) as part of the biggest reforms in fifty years. In June 2025, the PAC led a House of Commons debate on the NAD’s remit. The National Audit Office (NAO) reports in 2025 on the UK’s F-35 aircraft programme, examining whether the MoD is delivering its F-35 capability aims in a way which maximises value for money. Following the NAO’s report, the PAC will take evidence from senior MoD officials and military leaders on subjects including current and future programme costs, MoD’s management of the UK’s participation in the global programme, and the resources in place to support the UK’s F-35 capability. As part of the session, the Committee will also question officials from the Ministry of Defence about the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) and associated data breaches. The ARR was set up by the MoD to mitigate the security risks arising from a data protection breach and the unauthorised disclosure of personal information about Afghan citizens which occurred in February 2022. The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report on the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) to support the Committee’s scrutiny. If you have evidence on these issues, please submit it here by 23:59 on Monday 25 August 2025. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. You can request anonymity or confidentiality when you send evidence, but it is the Committee which decides what information to publish and how. It may treat submissions confidentially, even where you have not requested this. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Show less

7 Recommendations

23 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

4 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 8 events

14 May
2026

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence relating to The UK’s Stealth Fighter Capability (recommendations 2a ,2b, 4 a…

20 Apr
2026

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee relating to The UK’s F-35 stea…

26 Mar
2026

Correspondence

Letter to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence relating to Treasury Minute response – The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability

19 Jan
2026

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifty-first report from Session 2024-26

31 Oct
2025

Report published

51st Report - The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability

16 Oct
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence relating to the oral evidence session on 08 September 2025 on the UK’s F-35 …

8 Sep
2025

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

8 Sep
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

8 Sep 2025

View on parliament.uk

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton KCB · Ministry of Defence Air Commodore Nick Lowe · Ministry of Defence David Williams · Daily Mail Dominic Wilson · Ministry of Defence

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
51st Report - The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability	HC 1232	31 Oct 2025	30	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 results

2 Recommendation Accepted

51st Report - The UK’s F-35 stealt…

Set out plans to ensure F-35 standoff capability and increase aircraft availability.

The UK’s F-35 does not have a standoff weapon, and aircraft availability is inadequate. The Department states that its biggest concern with its F-35 fleet is the lack of a standoff weapon to strike ground targets from a safe distance. … Read more

Government Response

The government agreed to increase F-35 availability by increasing aircraft engineers, supporting efforts to improve spares availability, investing in F-35 technical infrastructure, and enhancing supporting enablers, with a full report on availability to follow later.

HM Treasury

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27 Recommendation Accepted

51st Report - The UK’s F-35 stealt…

Department's F-35 whole-life cost approach hinders sound long-term financial management

The Department told us that its approach to whole-life costs gave it the right cost information for the management decisions it needs to make. It argued that coming up with a whole life cost out to 2069 was not helpful … Read more

Government Response

The department will continue to strengthen its approach to whole life cost modelling as part of the work that is being taken forward under Defence Reform. The department already develops whole life cost models that extend beyond equipment costs, for example covering personnel and infrastructure costs too, but accepts that there is an opportunity to go further in developing and presenting a fuller and more complete view of through-life cost.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 30 of 7 classified

Accepted 2

Acknowledged 6

Deferred 14

Rejected 8

Total 7 recs + 23 conclusions

Correspondence 4 letters

14 May 2026 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence relating to The UK’s Stealth Fighter Capability (recommendations 2a ,2b, 4 and 5a), 30 April 2026

Parliament page

20 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee relating to The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, 10 April 2026

Parliament page

26 Mar 2026 From committee Letter to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence relating to Treasury Minute response – The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability

Parliament page

16 Oct 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence relating to the oral evidence session on 08 September 2025 on the UK’s F-35 Stealth Fighter Capability, 25 September 2025

Parliament page