Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Tempest supersonic stealth fighter is a replacement for the F35 as well as for the Typhoon.

The UK capability to deliver 'Control of the Air' beyond Typhoon out of service date has been described in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Concept of Employment and supporting documents. This requirement describes an integrated system of systems, in which the core platform is currently referred to as Tempest. Analysis is ongoing to determine specific quantities of platforms needed to satisfy the UK defence needs. This includes crewed and uncrewed collaborative platforms.

In line with the Integrated Review, we are continuing to develop Future Combat Air System (FCAS) as a replacement for the capabilities provided by our Typhoon aircraft. Advances in technology mean it is being designed to deliver an even larger range and depth of capabilities than current platforms to address emerging threats, including greater networked interoperability with uncrewed aircraft and F-35. FCAS will therefore replace the UK Typhoon roles and will complement the F35 fleet but not replace it.