UK to buy fighter jets that can carry nuclear bombs in expansion of deterrent
By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor
The UK will buy at least 12 F-35 stealth jets that can carry nuclear bombs in the most significant strengthening of its nuclear capability in a generation, the government has said.
Sir Keir Starmer will tell a summit of NATO allies in The Hague on Wednesday that the new squadron will join an alliance mission that can be armed with American nuclear weapons.
The dramatic move will doubtless draw condemnation and concern from Russia and China.
But it comes at a time of growing global insecurity and as the prime minister and his European and Canadian counterparts scramble to convince Donald Trump they are serious about bolstering their ability to defend Europe instead of overly relying on the United States.
The American president, a long-standing NATO-sceptic, raised questions about whether he would uphold the alliance鈥檚 founding article 5 principle 鈥� that an attack on one is an attack on all 鈥� even before he arrived in the Dutch city on Tuesday evening.
An urgent need to keep Mr Trump on side has prompted NATO allies to agree to increase spending on defence and national resilience to a new target of 5% of GDP by 2035.
As part of this push to rearm, Sir Keir will give the Royal Air Force the ability to carry air-borne nuclear bombs for the first time since the 1990s when the V-bomber was taken out of service.
"In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted," he said.
"These F35 dual capable aircraft will herald a new era for our world-leading Royal Air Force and deter hostile threats that threaten the UK and our allies.
"The UK's commitment to NATO is unquestionable, as is the alliance's contribution to keeping the UK safe and secure, but we must all step up to protect the Euro-Atlantic area for generations to come."
It was not immediately clear when the F-35 jets would be bought or how much they will cost, but the new squadron will be part of a NATO-led nuclear deterrence mission.
The RAF and the Royal Navy already operate F-35B jets that can fly off Britain's two aircraft carriers, but which are not equipped to drop nuclear bombs.
The new planes will be the F-35A variant, operated by the air force, that take off from land but can fly further and be armed with nuclear or conventional weapons.