Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what percentage of flying instructor roles are currently gapped within the F-35 programme.

53% of flying instructor roles are currently gapped on the Lightning training Squadron, this is an improvement of some 20% since the publication of the National Audit Office report in July 2025. The shortfall is mitigated by using flying instructors from elsewhere on the Lightning Force.