Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions has he held with his US counterpart and the F-35 Joint Programme Office on the future use of the F-35B Lightning Force in the defence of the Falkland Islands.

The four Tranche 1 Typhoon aircraft currently assigned to British Forces South Atlantic Islands are scheduled to be replaced by four Tranche 2 Typhoon aircraft from the existing fleet during the aircraft rotation planned for late November to early December 2027. Following their return to the UK, the four Tranche 1 aircraft will be withdrawn from the Military Aviation Authority Register and enter the disposal process.

UK F-35 Lightning remain available for global operational tasking in line with Defence priorities.