Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 15
15
F-35 programme plagued by critical shortages of engineers, pilots, and flying instructors
Recommendation
The F-35 programme suffers from personnel shortages across a range of occupations. A 2024 review of the programme, by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA, formerly the Infrastructure and Projects Authority), stated that shortages of suitably qualified engineers represented the biggest threat to delivering F-35 capability. These shortages have been exacerbated by the Department miscalculating how many engineers were needed per aircraft because it failed to account for staff taking leave and performing other tasks including guard duties.33 The National Audit Office report also found that the programme is short of cyber specialists, pilots and qualified flying instructors. In 2025 the programme only had five full-time flying instructors compared to its target of 16.34
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 19 January 2026. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗