UK resumes receipt of F-35s

One of two new Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning jets delivered to RAF Marham on 8 May. (Crown Copyright)

The United Kingdom has again begun receiving Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning combat aircraft after a gap of over a year.

Supported by an Airbus Voyager tanker, two new F-35B jets (tail/serial numbers 037/ZM171 and 038/ZM172) were flown from the company's Forth Worth production facility in Texas to Royal Air Force (RAF) Marham in England on 8 May.

The event marked the first new arrivals at RAF Marham since 20 March 2024, at which time the last UK aircraft to be built to the Technology Refresh-2 (TR-2) standard was delivered. Following delays to the wider international programme, these latest aircraft have now been delivered at the latest TR-3 standard.

TR-3 is intended to provide the increased computing power required for the upcoming F-35 Block 4 standard aircraft (also known as Continuous Capability Development and Delivery [C2D2]). Further to the general sensor and weapons enhancements to the aircraft, Block 4 for the UK specifically means integration of the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) and the Selected Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) 3 air-to-surface munition.

The arrival of the two new aircraft at RAF Marham means the UK now has 32 operational F-35Bs (one aircraft was lost in an accident in 2021, while four reside with 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron [TES] in the US). Deliveries of the 48 aircraft so far contracted are due to be completed later in 2025, with a second tranche of 27 F-35Bs expected to follow. Including a replacement for the lost aircraft, the UK will have a fleet of 75 aircraft in the early 2030s.

For more information on the UK F-35 programme, please see