Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 April 2026
Letter from the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry to the Chair dated 14th April providing an update on the F-35 Lightning Force and Atlas A400M
From: Defence Committee
Summary
Minister Luke Pollard updates the Defence Committee Chair on two major defence programmes. The F-35 Lightning achieved Full Operating Capability in November 2025 and will exit the Major Projects Portfolio by March 2026; the fleet will reach 48 aircraft by March 2026 with plans to expand to 74 or 138. The Atlas A400M has recovered to 16 serviceable aircraft with availability increasing 35% year-on-year, now delivering 10 Fit for Purpose aircraft daily.
Key findings
- F-35 Lightning Force declared Full Operating Capability on 17 November 2025 as part of the Carrier Strike programme, achieving a 25-year milestone.
- The 48th F-35B Lightning scheduled for delivery by March 2026 completes the initial procurement phase; future fleet expansion to 74 or 138 aircraft pending Defence Investment Plan decisions.
- NATO approved UK inclusion in nuclear mission; working with US to deliver F-35A nuclear capability with intention to procure at least 12 aircraft.
- Atlas A400M availability increased 35% year-on-year to 10 Fit for Purpose aircraft per day (January 2026); Actual Operating Fleet recovered to historic high of 16 aircraft.
- A400M Fleet Flying Hours output increased 31% year-on-year from 697 to 912 hours (January 2025 to January 2026); projected to reach 9,800 FH in FY25/26 with aspiration for 11,000 FH in FY26/27.
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Luke Pollard MP, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, Ministry of Defence, Royal Air Force, NATO, United States, Lockheed Martin (implied F-35 contractor), Airbus (implied A400M contractor)
Notable line
“The achievement is a significant milestone, over 25 years in the making, and is due to the hard work and ingenuity of many personnel across the Lightning enterprise and Whole Force of military …”
Key Quotes
“On 17 November 2025, the Secretary of State for Defence publicly declared that the Carrier Strike programme had achieved FOC …”
“The 48 th F-35B Lightning is scheduled for delivery by March 2026, completing the initial procurement phase.”
“NATO has approved the UK's inclusion in the nuclear mission, and we are working closely with the US to deliver this capability for the Royal Air Force …”
“… availability was measured as ten Fit for Purpose (FFP) aircraft per day.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗