Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the level of pollution caused by a F-35 fighter jet (a) taking off and (b) landing; and what powers he has to regulate those pollution levels in the context of the Government's commitments made at COP26.
The F-35 Lightning uses Aviation Fuel at a similar consumption rate to comparable Combat Aircraft. However, it offers large advantages over legacy aircraft fleets like Tornado GR4, and a far greater proportion of routine training can now be achieved in highly realistic simulators, that for previous legacy fleets would have required additional reliance on live flying. The RAF continues to work to enhance this Synthetic Operational Training environment through Next Generation Operational Training (NGOT) and Programme Gladiator, further reducing its reliance on live flying to meet routine training goals.
Working closely with the Defence Strategic Fuels Authority, industry and academia, the RAF is also leading research and trials of the next generation of Sustainable Aviation Fuels and future Synthetic Fuels.