UK to reintroduce nuclear weapon-capable aircraft under Nato
Britain will reintroduce fighter jets capable of carrying atomic weapons to support Nato's nuclear mission, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said, as he prepares for a Nato summit Wednesday.
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The country will purchase 12 nuclear weapon-capable F-35A fighters, expanding the country's deterrence arsenal, which is currently limited to submarine-launched missiles.
'These F-35 dual capable aircraft will herald a new era for our world-leading Royal Air Force and deter hostile threats that threaten the UK and our Allies,' Starmer said in a statement on Tuesday.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte was quoted in the statement as saying: 'I strongly welcome today's announcement', calling it 'yet another robust British contribution to Nato'.
Downing Street described it as the 'biggest strengthening of the UK's nuclear posture in a generation', adding that Starmer would announce the plan at the summit on Wednesday.
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Since the end of the Cold War, British nuclear deterrence within the Atlantic alliance was provided solely by missiles aboard Royal Navy submarines.
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