Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason have Royal Air Force F-35B Lighting IIs ZM177 and ZM179 been at Lajes International Airport since 9th March 2026.

As set out in my reply to the hon. Member's question in the Commons the aircraft are now in the UK. Issues relating to the platforms have been resolved. It is not common practice to reveal those issues in the public domain as I am sure the hon. Member will understand.