Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the extent of the effect on operability of a delay in fitting the full suite of weaponry on the F-35B aircraft; and whether that delay is due to (a) technical or (b) budgetary matters.
The F35-B Lightning is already Operational with the full suite of weaponry comprising ASRAAM, AMRAAM and Paveway IV. The Lightning Programme Board continues to progress the spiral upgrade to further enhance the F35-B Lightning capability, including the integration of future weapon capabilities later in the decade.