Britain Takes Delivery Of 10th F-35 Stealth Jet

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed reports that Britain has received its 10th F-35 stealth fighter.

The UK has ordered 138 of the fifth-generation jets from defence giant Lockheed Martin.

The 10 delivered aircraft are currently based in the US, where British personnel are training on them.

All of the remaining jets are expected to have been delivered by the 2030s, according to the UK Defence Journal.

Britain is expected to have 42 F-35s by 2023, with 24 available as 'front-line fighters' and the remaining 18 either used for training, held in reserve or undergoing maintenance.

In 2012, then-Defence Secretary Philip Hammond announced that it would purchase the F-35B, reversing a decision in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review to buy a smaller number of F-35Cs.

Last year, however, the Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin, refused to confirm in a written answer to a question from Labour MP Kevan Jones that all the 138 jets would be F-35Bs, rather than F-35Cs or the cheaper 'A' variant.

She said at the time:

"The Strategic Defence and Security Review confirmed the UK's commitment to procure 138 F-35 aircraft over the life of the programme. Decisions on the precise details of subsequent tranches will be taken at the appropriate time to ensure the most appropriate capability and the best value for money."

The F-35B, unlike the F-35A has a lift fan behind the cockpit which gives the aircraft short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, allowing it to fly from an aircraft carrier and hover like a Harrier. The F-35A, meanwhile, is designed to take off from conventional runways.

Some experts have argued, however, that once there are enough of the jets to fly from the Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers - each will carry around 24 - Britain should buy the cheaper F-35A.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon confirmed last year that the US Marine Corps will deploy F-35Bs on board HMS Queen Elizabeth while Britain waits for the remaining jets needed to fly from her and sister ship HMS Prince of Wales.

He said UK planes are expected to do the same on US vessels "in the fullness of time".

Cover image a file photo of the F-35B on display in the UK for the first time.