UK to buy jets that can carry US nuclear warheads

It marks the first time since the 1990s that the RAF will be able to carry airborne nuclear warheads

It will mark the most significant strengthening of the UK's nuclear capability in a generation.

The new jets will be able to carry regular weapons, but also have capability to carry US-made nuclear warheads.

Currently, the RAF operates F-35B variant jets, which have a shorter range and less weapon capacity. So, the decision to purchase F-35A jets is a welcome one for the RAF, who have long campaigned for jets with longer range and higher capacity.

Keir Starmer is due to announce the decision on the new jets during the Nato summit in the Netherlands this week.

The UK is not the only country due to have capacity to carry airborne nuclear warheads, as seven other countries already use the dual-capacity jets, including the US, Italy and Germany.

"In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my government is investing in our national security," Starmer said.

The announcement comes after a new UK government review warned that the country must urgently prepare for a “wartime scenario” for the first time in “many years.”

In a foreword to the report, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “Extremist ideologies are on the rise. Technology is transforming the nature of both war and domestic security.” 

“Hostile state activity takes place on British soil. It is an era of radical uncertainty, and we must navigate it with agility, speed and a clear-eyed sense of the national interest.” 

In order to prepare for any potential wartime scenario, the report says the government will organise annual exercises which will test the preparedness of the whole of society to an attack.