UK Returns to Tactical Nuclear Role For First Time Since Cold War With Purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35s

The United Kingdom will buy 12 F-35A fighters from Lockheed Martin so the country can join NATO’s nuclear mission, becoming what might be called the world’s only dual-sovereignty nuclear-armed nation.

British pilots will crew U.S.-made jets carrying American tactical nuclear bombs in support of the NATO nuclear mission, the UK government announced at the alliance’s summit this week. The F-35 is designated dual-capable, meaning that as well as the nuclear mission it will be able to perform regular warfighting duties as well.

The government said in a statement: “The purchase represents the biggest strengthening of the UK’s nuclear posture in a generation. It also 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.”

While some stalwarts of the left in the UK made a token protest against the country increasing its involvement in nuclear deterrence, most controversial about the announcement was the F-35A airframes themselves. The acquisition of F-35 and which of its three variants to buy is a now decades-long bitter debate within the British defence establishment and a lot of old wounds were apparently re-opened this week with the announcement.

Firstly, it was confirmed on Wednesday by government minister Maria Eagle that the announcement of 12 F-35As — the first time the UK has ordered this variant — is not in addition to those others already due to be delivered, but comes at the expense of 12 F-35Bs, the carrier-borne version for the Royal Navy. If the total buy of all variants is not increased from the now long-established 138 air frames, this could seriously negatively impact the UK’s ability to generate two carrier air wings sustainably.

Further, concerns have been raised in Parliament and elsewhere about the integration of F-35 with the rest of the British military. While outwardly similar between variants, the F-35A uses a different aerial refuelling system to the F-35B which the UK hitherto operated, and is not compatible with the UK’s fleet of RAF air support tankers.

Eagle seemed sanguine about this, however, stating the United Kingdom could always rely on its NATO allies to refuel its aircraft on its behalf. She said: “this is a NATO mission, and NATO will of course be able to do the air-to-air refuelling. It is quite normal for different allies to contribute their different capabilities, whether nuclear capable or conventional, to NATO’s nuclear mission.”

Nevertheless these aircraft are not only being bought for their NATO mission nuclear strike role but for conventional fighter work too, and the utility there will be severely hampered unless a suitably equipped ally in the region of any future conflict is both willing and has spare capacity to assist.

Given F-35s are also not rolling off the assembly line quickly, there is also the fact this is not a new capability the Royal Air Force will be deploying in a snap. With a concerning resort to fortune, Eagle told Parliament that “we are hopeful that the aircraft will start delivering before the end of the decade”, probably meaning delivery won’t be completed until the 2030s.

Britain was the third nuclear-armed nation on earth after the United States and Soviet Union and at the height of the Cold War deployed strategic and tactical nuclear weapons through the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force. All but one of those systems were disbanded in the 1990s to cut costs, leaving the United Kingdom with the Continuous at Sea Deterrent, a submarine-delivered  strategic strike capability carrying British-made and controlled warheads which has been active without break 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for over 55 years.

The F-35A, which already has U.S. nuclear bombs integrated, will therefore be the first time the Royal Air Force has been able to launch nuclear weapons since the withdrawal of the sovereign, British-built WE.177 warheads in 1998.

But this system won’t be a straight WE.177 replacement, however. The nuclear weapons will remain the property of the United States and could only be used with the agreement of the U.S., UK, and theoretically NATO as a whole. The system will mirror others in Europe where American nuclear weapons are forward-deployed to Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey to be carried by their own planes on the behalf of Washington.

Russia also operates a similar system, forwarding nuclear weapons to ally Belarus to be carried by their own planes. That particular instance was decried when initiated because it was seen to break the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The British government denies taking on American nuclear weapons now breaks that same treaty because the UK is already a nuclear power, it is simply becoming a dual-armed one by carrying weapons from two nations at the same time.

The United Kingdom certainly could create its own tactical nuclear weapons and has done so in the past, but seems disinclined to do so. Indeed, Minister Eagle explicitly stated “this is not some kind of stepping stone to acquiring tactical nuclear weapons”, strongly implying the onshoring of American nuclear weapons is meant to be time limited. There is also an element of alliance management in play, with the government saying it agreed with the notion that re-establishing a tactical nuclear link between the UK and the U.S. “reasserts the commitment of the United States to the defence of the other NATO countries”.

Explaining the difference between the strategic warheads carried by the Royal Navy — meant for levelling cities and regions — and the much less powerful tactical weapons to now be carried by the Royal Air Force — meant for taking out advancing armies, warships, and submarines — former Defence Minister Grant Shapps moved to take some credit for the decision. He wrote on Wednesday: “I began work on this as Defence Secretary — and strongly support it. Tactical nukes fill the gap between a Storm Shadow strike and full-blown Trident. They restore credible deterrence without jumping straight to Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).”

Another former defence minister, Ben Wallace, was less complimentary, again putting on display the deep cracks in the UK defence community over the F-35 programme, its variants, and its impact on British sovereign systems. He said in a statement: “The big announcement of F35A’s carrying Nukes is not as it seems… Under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty the UK cannot “buy” nukes from [the U.S.] We can carry U.S. Nukes for [American-directed missions only].

“We will have NO unilateral use of them so it will do little to enhance our UK resilience. The MOD will have to pay millions… for the privilege of carrying US weapons. Obviously means less money for our own [systems]… This announcement boils down to PM buys a different model of American Plane. The NUKE line is an attempt to sound tough. But the reality is we are hollow”.