Recommendation 6

The Department has not set out its preferred mix of F-35As and Bs, nor forecast the costs of introducing the F-35As in their nuclear weapons role. The 48 aircraft that the Department has contracted for so far are all F-35Bs, which can be flown from land or aircraft carriers. In June 2025 the Department announced that in its next phase of procurement it intended to buy 12 F-35As alongside 15 F-35Bs. The Department told us that the F35As would both act as training aircraft, where its additional range will be valuable in enabling longer training flights, and join the NATO dual capable aircraft nuclear mission. Only the F-35A variant can carry nuclear weapons. The Department acknowledged that becoming certified for the NATO nuclear mission will add new requirements to training, personnel and possibly infrastructure. The Department is speaking to other nations in the NATO mission about requirements for certification. This work is at an early stage and the Department did not provide any indication of forecast costs. recommendation The Department should update the committee in six months on what it expects the additional whole-life costs of operating Dual Capable Aircraft will be, and how long it will take to prepare the necessary arrangements. 5 1 F-35 capability requirements Introduction