Though apparently not detailed in the Strategic Defense Review (SDR) released on June 2, the Starmer government in London is reportedly giving serious consideration to restoring Britain’s own tactical nuclear capability, a capability the British haven’t had since 1998 when the WE.177 air-dropped bombs were retired. According to a long report in The i Paper, a publication affiliated with the Daily Mail, the government is considering the purchase of a fleet of F-35A stealth fighters and stationing them at RAF Lakenheath where, according to reports published over the last 2-3 years by the Federation of American Scientists’ Hans Kristensen, the U.S. has upgraded its nuclear infrastructure. The British already operate the F-35B short takeoff and landing version of the F-35 for their aircraft carriers, but the F-35A is the only version certified to carry the B61-12 nuclear bomb.
Sir Richard Barrons, the former senior British military commander who was a joint author of the SDR, on June 5 confirmed that discussions with Washington to acquire “dual-capable” F-35As are to take place, although he suggested no final decision has been made to expand Britain’s nuclear arsenal, The i Paper reports. Barrons said, during an interview with the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS), acquiring non-strategic nukes “is something that is going to be discussed.” He added: “If the Ministry of Defence buys F-35A, which we think is a good idea, then the A model can be dual capable. It can do a conventional role and it can also carry the American free-fall nuclear munition.… It’s going to be worth asking NATO ‘[is] this a good idea?’”
Whether the U.K. might join NATO’s nuclear sharing scheme or, as an existing nuclear weapons power, carve out its own bespoke arrangement with Washington, remains to be seen, The i Paper says.
