The UK is considering placing an additional order for the American F-35 Lightning II aircraft. However, workers’ unions in the country warn that purchasing the American jet could hurt the prospects of the Eurofighter Typhoon, the 6th-gen GCAP, and Britain’s autonomy.
According to the latest The Times report, British ministers are poised to confirm the purchase of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft over the “expensive” Eurofighter Typhoon.
Earlier, the country was expected to buy the latest, upgraded variants of the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is jointly manufactured by the Eurofighter Consortium, which consists of the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy.
However, the latest report suggests that the British Ministers have come to think that the European 4+ generation aircraft is too expensive and less advanced than the F-35.
British rights and workers’ groups have opposed the purchase of American fighters. One of the biggest unions in Britain, Unite, has demanded that the government purchase two squadrons of Lancashire-made Typhoons instead of F-35s, stating that purchasing American jets could put the UK in a position where “Trump wakes up in a bad mood and locks us out of using our fighter jets.”
This argument aligns with similar reservations expressed by countries like Canada, Portugal, and Denmark regarding the purchase of American stealth aircraft.
Despite being allies of the US, several European countries believe that the Trump administration could obstruct the F-35’s operations by blocking access to spare parts and software upgrades needed to keep the aircraft combat-ready, as previously explained in detail by the EurAsian Times.
Trump’s coercion of Ukraine, which involved halting military aid to get the embattled country to end the war against its wishes, has triggered anxiety and insecurity among US allies.
These anxieties were further exacerbated by Trump’s assertion that he would “tone down” the sixth-generation F-47 by 10% before exporting it to other countries. “Because someday, maybe they’re not our allies,” the President stated.
The fears among European allies stem from Donald Trump’s erratic decision-making. The President has been vocal about annexing Greenland from Denmark and making Canada the 51st state of the United States of America, thus actively creating a rift in the alliance between the US and the European Union.
Despite the wave of skepticism, many countries have remained committed to the US and the F-35 Lightning II. For instance, the head of capability for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Air Vice-Marshal Nicholas Hogan, recently told reporters that the service had no doubts over the reliability of the F-35 stealth jet. Additionally, the country’s opposition has vowed to acquire additional F-35A fighters if it comes to power.
The UK Is Optimistic About F-35
The RAF is reportedly retiring 49 Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoons. Of these, seventeen have already been scrapped, one will be disposed of soon, eleven are in storage, ten have been dismembered for spare parts, four have been deployed to the Falkland Islands, four have been used to train engineering crews, and two are likely to be sold to a friendly nation.
This means that the RAF needs new fighter jets to refill its inventory amid persisting aerial security threats.
The UK earlier placed an order for 48 F-35B Lightning II aircraft, of which 37 have already been delivered. As noted by Defense Minister Maria Eagle in a recent letter to Parliament, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) will declare Full Operational Capability (FoC) by the end of this year.
So far, the British military has exclusively acquired the F-35B aircraft, a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the fighter jet specifically engineered for operations from short-field bases and aircraft carriers. However, it is now considering the purchase of the F-35A variant, which is operated by other NATO allies and operates from usual runways.
Moreover, the F-35A has been certified as a carrier of US nuclear weapons. There is a possibility that the acquisition of the aircraft would allow the UK to integrate US nuclear bombs into the RAF. Previous reports indicated that the US is planning to place nuclear weapons at UK air bases after a hiatus of nearly two decades.
Moreover, the UK’s optimism regarding the F-35 comes from its involvement in its production.
Military leaders in the country believe that Britain, which produces 15% of all F-35s, will be able to fly the aircraft independently of the US, in contrast to nations like Denmark, which has expressed regret for purchasing American aircraft over the Greenland issue.
The chairman of Denmark’s parliamentary defense committee, Rasmus Jarlov, said he regrets selecting the F-35 stealth fighters for his country.
Jarlov tweeted: “I don’t know if there is a kill switch in the F35s or not. We obviously can not take your word for it. As one of the decision-makers behind Denmark’s purchase of F35s, I regret it. The USA can certainly disable the planes by simply stopping the supply of spare parts. They want to strengthen Russia and weaken Europe and are showing that they are willing to do tremendous damage to peaceful and loyal allies like Canada just because they insist on existing as a country.
That, however, could be disputed. For instance, Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, argued: “F-35s are made with US-owned intellectual property, they rely on US data and use US technology and US weapons. RAF squadrons of F-35As would be effectively reliant on co-operation from the American government in order to function.”
EurAsian Times had earlier explained that no aircraft buyer can fully control the aircraft because Lockheed Martin has repeatedly refused to provide its entire “source code” to foreign clients, including close allies of the United States. Source code is the core programming that enables all aircraft functions.
The UK defense industry members, like BAE, are involved in both the F-35 and the Eurofighter program. The company claims that about 15% of each US-designed F-35, including all aft fuselages, is constructed in the UK.
The horizontal and vertical tails and other parts are also produced at facilities in the UK and Australia. The company also states that it provides the Active Inceptor System, vehicle management computer, and electronic warfare suite, among other critical electronic equipment, onboard the fighter.
However, that still does not mean that the UK could operate the aircraft independently of the United States.
Hurting The Eurofighter?
The purchase of the F-35 would mean that the 4.5th-generation Eurofighter Typhoon would not get the big boost from the UK it had been waiting for.
The decision in favor of the F-35 stealth fighter is believed to be based on the fact that a stealth aircraft can penetrate hostile air defenses, which could assist in rapidly establishing air superiority, unlike the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is not as stealthy.
However, critics of the UK’s purchase of the F-35 contend that the Eurofighter (especially the later Tranche 4 and Tranche 5 variants) outperforms the F-35 in terms of interception capabilities and kinematics.
The Eurofighter serves as the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) force in the United Kingdom, with two squadrons at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth ready for instant launch. The RAF would not need stealth fighters for QRA missions.
The purchase of the F-35 could hurt Eurofighter production and the sixth-generation Global Combat Air Program. It is believed that if the UK does not purchase Eurofighter, there will be a loss of jobs and a skilled engineering force, which could be useful in the development and production of the next-generation fighter jets.
Earlier, the House of Commons Defence Committee said: “Retention of the existing Typhoon manufacturing workforce … until full-scale production of Tempest is underway, must be a priority.”
A procurement of 24 F-35s by the UK would only provide two or three months of employment in the UK for roughly 2,000 workers, according to Unite analysis. In contrast, an order for 24 Typhoons would guarantee almost 20,000 jobs for years for employees of the UK supply chain, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, and BAE Systems.
“UK domestic production of T5 Typhoons is essential as a bridge to ensure we can produce Tempest in the UK,” Graham said in a recent letter to Defense Secretary John Healey.
The Unite group has also repeatedly argued that the F-35 isn’t a superior plane. The group states that the Typhoon can carry both US and British-made weapons and has superior air defenses and range.
They argue that the F-35s were built as stealth aircraft for significantly shorter missions, and RAF Typhoon fighter jets are far more equipped to patrol NATO’s borders and combat any potential Russian threat.
Industry sources believe that the Eurofighter consortium and the UK will be able to retain jobs and engineering talent based on their production of Eurofighter Typhoons for foreign customers. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey, for instance, are due to place new orders.
British Ministers are now making an about-face because they believe the 4.5th-generation fighters are “too expensive.” The average estimated cost of an F-35A is £64 million (US$82.58 million), whereas the average cost of an F-35B is £85 million (US$109.68 million). Meanwhile, the Eurofighter Typhoon costs £73 million (US$94.19 million), according to the latest report.
The UK’s purchase of F-35A would also contrast with Maria Eagle’s statement from January 2025, when she affirmed the role of the UK’s Combat Air strategy in determining the balance between 4th and 5th generation aircraft. At the time, she emphasized that to combat changing threats, it is critical to have a “relevant and capable force mix.”
It could also hurt the alliance between the UK and Germany, which has grown stronger in the face of hostilities with the Trump administration. In recent months, the three other members of the Eurofighter Consortium—Italy, Germany, and Spain—have all placed additional orders for the Eurofighter Typhoon. The UK has paid lip service at best.
However, with more F-35s on the shopping list, the UK is unlikely to buy additional Eurofighter Tranche 4 and 5 variants. Instead, it will promote the aircraft for export to other potential customers while purchasing American fighter jets for itself.
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