F-35 stealth fighter fleet on track to increase to 74 combat-ready aircraft by 2033

The status of the UK's fleet of F-35 Lightning jets is on track and is still expected to increase to 74 aircraft by 2033, Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge has confirmed.

Mr Cartlidge wrote to Jeremy Quin, the chair of the Commons Defence Committee, in which he said deliveries of the first 48 aircraft continue to be produced as scheduled, with 33 aircraft received to date.

Purchasing a further 27 of the stealth fighter jets will take place within Tranche 2, added Mr Cartlidge, who said negotiations with the US Department of Defense were "going well".

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He said: "The Lightning force continues to provide a key component of the UK contribution to Nato in response to Russia's continued illegal war and occupation of Ukraine.

"In 2023 UK F-35Bs have undertaken long-range missions from RAF Marham, supported by Voyager tankers, seamlessly integrating with our own fourth-generation Typhoons and fighters from other partner nations, to form a potent force mix."

F-35B Specifications

The F-35B Lightning is a multi-role machine, capable of conducting air-to-surface, electronic warfare, intelligence-gathering and air-to-air missions simultaneously.

Here are some of the specifications of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft:

• Powerplant: one Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan rated at 40,000lb st (177.88kN) with afterburning and 40,500lb st (180.10kN) for vertical take-off
• Length: 51ft 2¼in (15.60m)
• Height: 14ft 3½in (4.36m)
• Wingspan: 35ft (10.70m)
• Wing area: 460sqft (42.70m2)
• Maximum take-off weight: around 60,000lb (27,216kg)
• Maximum speed: Mach 1.6
• Combat radius: on internal fuel more than 450nm (833km)
• Maximum altitude: 50,000ft
• Armament: typically two AAMs and two bombs carried internally, with optional 25mm gun pod and underwing pylons enabling stores carriage up to 15,000lb (6,800kg) 

The F-35 was designed with three initial variants – the F-35A, a conventional take-off and landing land-based version, the F-35B, a short take-off and vertical landing variant capable of being operated either on land or on an aircraft carrier, and the F-35C, a catapult-assisted carrier-based version.

The RAF and Royal Navy operate the F-35B, which sacrifices the amount of fuel or weapons it can carry in favour of flexibility.

The short take-off and vertical landing capability of the F-35B means it can operate from the new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and the vessels of allied nations, as well as short airstrips.