F-35 Aircraft: Procurement
(asked on 25th November 2025) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the terms of the UK's operational freedom of action under the global F-35 programme.
This question was answered on 3rd December 2025
The Ministry of Defence has Operational Sovereignty/Freedom of Action to operate the UK 'F-35 aircraft at the time and place of the UK Defence's choosing' and to 'procure critical capabilities to be located in the UK'.
This is combined with an in-depth understanding of the aircraft's capabilities that enable Operational Readiness and risk to be assessed against national legislation, the Geneva Convention and our Duty of Care before committing the equipment and personnel to operations.