British jets to carry nuclear warheads

Telegraph

6 hours ago

British fighter jets are to carry nuclear warheads for the first time since the Cold War era, after a deal with the US.
At a Nato summit in the Hague on Wednesday, the Prime Minister will announce that Britain will buy 12 F-35A fighter planes. Unlike the F-35B jets the UK currently possesses, they can carry nuclear weapons.
Sir Keir Starmer said: 'In an era of radical uncertainty, we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my Government is investing in our national security, ensuring our Armed Forces have the equipment they need and communities up and down the country reap the benefits from our defence dividend.'
The agreement marks the first time since the retirement of the Tornado in 1998 that the UK will have a plane capable of dropping tactical nuclear weapons on the enemy.
The Ministry of Defence said: 'It... reintroduces a nuclear role for the Royal Air Force for the first time since the UK retired its sovereign air-launched nuclear weapons following the end of the Cold War.'
The announcement came as Britain's newly published national security strategy warned that for the first time in years, the country must 'actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario'.
The report also warned of the 'growing' threat to the UK from nuclear weapons, adding that the 'proliferation of nuclear and disruptive technology' meant the UK needed to adapt its approach to national security.