Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the speech made by the RAF’s Director Capability and Programmes, Air Vice-Marshal Jim Beck, at the Global Air & Space Chiefs’ Conference on 15 July 2026, when does he plan to order a further tranche of F-35A aircraft to enable participation in the NATO Nuclear Mission.

The delivery profile and date of F-35A aircraft is subject to discussion between the UK and multinational Joint Program Office, but the UK anticipates taking delivery of the next batch of F-35 aircraft from the early 2030s. This will include 12 F-35As, which will allow the UK to join NATO's Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) mission.

We will continue to work closely with the US, whose nuclear weapons are allocated to the NATO DCA mission, and our other NATO Allies on the timeline for doing so.