additional 90-aircraft requirement to
give the nal total eet of 138,’ he told
the author. ‘SDSR gave us a Joint Combat
Aircraft [JCA] requirement for 48 F-35Bs.
The following 90 aircraft sit in the FCAS
[Future Combat Air System] requirement.
We are presently evaluating the optimum
mix between the A and B variants for the
next tranches of aircraft.’
There are other contributing factors to
UK future fast jet plans, including a sixth-
generation ghter concept that has been
revealed under ‘Team Tempest’, with BAE
Systems looking to take a ‘leading role’ in
such a project. More details are included
in our special report on the UK’s ‘Combat
Air Strategy’, which was published by the
MoD on July 16.
As for the F-35, the continuous
capability development and delivery(C2D2) program is the new mechanism
for follow-on modernization. Every six
months a new capability drop will be
achieved through an ‘agile’ process. For
the UK that broadly brings Meteor and
SPEAR Cap 3 plus a latest variant of the
Paveway IV with increased capabilities.
Paveway IV Tactical Penetrator will be
the UK’s rst post-SDD weapon, followed
by an upgrade from Block IV to Block
VI ASRAAM. Looking further ahead,
the UK is already working to de ne
Blocks 5 and 6.
No 617 Squadron launched its rst
mission from Marham on June 28. It was
the rst step for the UK-based Lightning
Force towards an ambitious goal. In just
ve years’ time, two carriers and two
squadrons should be on the verge of
concurrent global operations.Carrier on-board delivery is another
area that sees the potential for a V-22
Osprey procurement occasionally rearing
its head. However, there remains no
formal UK program of record. In a written
reply to a question in April 2017, Harriet
Baldwin MP, the then Parliamentary
Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence),
said, ‘The department is currently
developing plans for maritime intra-
theatre lift (MITL) based upon in-service
helicopters. The Strategic Defence and
Security Review (SDSR) 2020 process will
consider the defense requirement for a
medium-to-long-term MITL solution.’Looking ahead
The UK plans to operate a eet of 48
F-35Bs. Its next goal is full operational
capability (FOC), which will occur around- The SDSR of 2015 spelled out the
plan for two operational squadrons
plus an OCU by that time. Under
current plans, 809 NAS will be formed
in April 2023 and be fully operational
by December of that year. At that point
the Lightning Force will be able to run
concurrent operations in two locations.
Air Cdre Lincoln Taylor, the assistant
chief of sta , capability delivery —
combat air, RAF, said that the plan is for
the UK to purchase more aircraft after
the initial 48 B-models. ‘We have an
Right: The F-35B
achieved its fi rst
ski-jump take-off
carrying a typical
UK weapons
load of four
Paveway IVs and
two ASRAAMs
at Patuxent
River on August
3 as part of the
second phase
of ski-jump
development
fl ying. The jet
was fl own by
BAE Systems
test pilot Peter
‘Wizzer’ Wilson.
US Navy/
Arnel ParkerBelow: The fi rst-
of-class fl ight
trials (FOCFT)
on HMS Queen
Elizabeth will
initially see a pair
of ITF F-35Bs
being embarked
aboard the
carrier. The initial
test work on the
ship will involve
the F-35Bs
performing a
side-step to
vertical landing
on the deck.
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