UK to buy 12 F-35 jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs

The Hague: The United Kingdom will buy 12 US-made F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs and will join NATO’s shared airborne nuclear mission, in a major expansion of its nuclear deterrent, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday.

The government called it “the biggest strengthening of the UK’s nuclear posture in a generation.”

Starmer announced while attending a NATO summit in the Netherlands. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed the decision, calling it “yet another robust British contribution to NATO.”

The UK phased out air-dropped atomic weapons in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War. Its nuclear arsenal now consists of submarine-based missiles.

Only three NATO members – the US, Britain and France – are nuclear powers, while seven nations contribute to the alliance’s nuclear mission by contributing jets that can carry either conventional weapons or American B61 bombs stockpiled in Europe.

The use of nuclear weapons by the UK as part of the mission would require the authorisation of NATO’s nuclear planning group, as well as the US president and British prime minister.

Marion Messmer, from the international security programme at the Chatham House think tank, said the government had avoided saying whether US nuclear weapons would be based on British soil, a move that would likely be controversial.

“The UK doesn’t have any nuclear weapons itself that could be deployed via this aircraft,” Messmer said. “Other states in NATO that participate in this mission also host US nuclear weapons on their territory – these weapons remain entirely under US control.”

Starmer also announced that the UK will provide 350 air defence missiles to Ukraine, funded by 70 million Pounds (USD 95 million) raised from interest on seized Russian assets.

The announcements come as the UK and other NATO members pledge to increase spending on security to 5 per cent of gross domestic product by 2035. The total includes 3.5 per cent on defence and another 1.5 per cent on broader security and resilience efforts.

The UK currently spends 2.3 per cent of its national income on defence and says that will rise to 2.

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