Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the additional defence funding set out in the Defence Investment Plan includes provision for the acquisition and ongoing support costs, including maintenance and infrastructure, associated with the planned procurement of F‑35 aircraft; and whether he plans to procure additional F‑35B aircraft alongside the 12 announced in that plan.

Discussions with the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) are ongoing regarding the procurement profiles and delivery schedule for the next batch of F-35 Lightning aircraft. The next batch is planned to include at least 12 F-35A aircraft, as announced in the Defence Investment Plan, with the balance of variants to be determined in accordance with military requirements. All F-35 acquisitions include very detailed assessments for the provision of support, maintenance and infrastructure.