Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
51st Report - The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability
Published 31 Oct 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Department told us that its approach to whole-life costs gave it the right cost information for the management decisions it needs to make. It argued that coming up with a whole life cost out to 2069 was not helpful for budgeting because the Defence budget deals with much shorter timeframes and planning assumptions such as the variant mix of future purchases are yet to be firmly decided upon. The Department acknowledged that the whole-life cost it has ultimately come up with does not include all costs associated with the F-35. It argued that this was reasonable, claiming that some costs, such as fuel, would be incurred regardless of the F-35 programme. We believe that the Department’s approach does not best support sound financial management over the long term. 52 Qq 68-69 53 Q 79 54 C&AG’s Report, para 3.15 55 Qq 69-70, 77 56 Letter from MoD to PAC, 25 September 2025 57 C&AG’s Report, para 3.29 58 Letter from MoD to PAC, 25 September 2025 59 Q 97; C&AG’s Report, para 3.34 15 Future procurement
From: Public Accounts Committee, 51st Report - The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability (HC 1232), 31 October 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifty-first Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 31 December 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifty-first report from Session 2024-26
Published 19 January 2026.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with most of the Committee's recommendations on the F-35, disagreeing on a F-35-specific workforce plan and on updating the Committee on Dual Capable Aircraft costs.
- On Full Operating Capability, the government agrees that criteria should take account of capability gaps and sustainment, with a target implementation date of November 2026.
- It agrees to write to the Committee by 30 April 2026 on increasing F-35 availability, saying the longer timeline is needed to draw on lessons from Carrier Strike Group 25.
- It disagrees with producing an F-35-specific recruitment and retention plan and will instead address the issue through the "ongoing RAF People Campaign".
- On RAF Marham accommodation, it will write by 31 May 2026 to advise "whether" the current timescale can be brought forward, after infrastructure requirements are reassessed following the Defence Investment Plan.