The UK F-35 fighters, considered the most advanced fleet, are operating without the sophisticated missiles originally planned for them.
A report from National Audit Office (NAO) It points out that Spear 3 and Meteor weapons, essential for the total effectiveness of the aircraft, face significant delays and should only be fully available from the 2030s, far beyond the initial forecast, which was the end of 2024.
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The delay in integration is attributed to problems with suppliers, lack of qualified professionals and UK dependence on the US for testing and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the British F-35 are being equipped with provisional weapons such as the Paveway IV pump and the AIM-12D missile, which offer limited performance, especially in missions that require secure distance attack. This compromises the ability to act in higher risk scenarios.
As a temporary solution, the Ministry of Defense analyzes the purchase of small diameter American bombs, but there is still no definition of the investment. In addition to arms delays, the F-35 program in the UK also suffers from low aircraft availability, delays in total operational capacity and maintenance failures, which raises doubts about the real readiness of fighter to fulfill its strategic role.
Source: UK Defence Journal | Photo: x @royalairforce | This content was created with the help of AI and revised by the editorial team
