UK to Restore Airborne Nuclear Deterrent with 12 F-35A and RAF Marham Basing

Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth used his first major public address as Chief of the Air Staff to put the return of an airborne nuclear role on the Royal Air Force agenda. He told the DSEI audience in London on 11 September that the service would field a credible option for NATO as soon as practicable, linking the goal to the government’s June decision to acquire 12 F-35A. Defence officials confirm the F-35A buy is tied to NATO’s Dual-Capable Aircraft mission, which uses allied aircraft to deliver U.S. B61-series gravity bombs under strict Alliance procedures.

The announcement set out the RAF’s near-term task. The new aircraft will be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk. Lifetime procurement remains up to 138 F-35, with this batch switching from the short-takeoff F-35B to the conventional F-35A, a change ministers say trims unit price by as much as a quarter. Officials also highlighted the UK industrial share of about 15 percent of the global F-35 supply chain, supporting around 20,000 jobs across more than 100 domestic suppliers.

Parliamentary records and ministerial remarks the same week noted the policy intent. Statements stressed the DCA role complements the sea-based deterrent rather than replacing it, and NATO leadership publicly welcomed London’s decision.

Independent outlets and specialist publications framed the move as a return to a mission the RAF last held in 1998 with the retirement of the WE.177 family. Tornado strike squadrons were the most recent UK units to carry the air-delivered role.

DSEI 2025 remarks and Smyth’s priorities: rebuilding a nuclear-literate RAF

Smyth’s speech focused on practical steps. Rebuild skills, certify people, and integrate the role with daily operations. He referenced historic RAF thinking on graduated response and said the submarine force remains the ultimate guarantee, with the Dreadnought programme sustaining Continuous at Sea Deterrence. He did not give dates for unit readiness or name squadrons that would take the tasking.

Trade press noted a candid point. Few serving RAF personnel have recent nuclear enterprise experience, so the service faces a steep on-ramp in procedures, security, engineering control, and aircrew qualification. That is typical for a force re-entering a specialist mission after more than two decades, but it still demands sustained senior attention and time.

Smyth’s appointment is recent. The government confirmed his selection in July and he took post at the end of August, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton. The timing helps explain why the RAF used the autumn show circuit to set expectations for the Lightning Force and for industry.

Certification, B61-12 integration and training milestones relevant to the UK F-35A

The F-35A completed U.S. operational certification for the B61-12 after a multi-year test and design-certification path. U.S. documents outline the sequence, with nuclear design certification in 2022, operational certification by October 2023, and public confirmation in early 2024. That status applies to U.S. F-35A only. Allied aircraft still need national clearances, the right software baseline, weapon-specific training, and NATO procedures before they can sit alert.

The RAF adds a national layer. Aircrew must complete nuclear surety training. Engineering and armament trades need weapon-handling qualifications. Squadrons must show compliance with NATO standards for custody transfer during crises. Officials have not published a schedule for UK initial nuclear tasking, and briefings avoid a calendar. Aviation trade reporting indicates London is working toward full operational capability for the broader F-35 enterprise in parallel, while the nuclear element moves on a separate track.

Storage and custody of B61-12 in the UK remain open questions. Analysts have tracked facility upgrades and movements associated with RAF Lakenheath since 2023, and open-source reporting in July indicated a likely reconstitution of U.S. stocks there after a 2008 withdrawal. Both governments hold to the policy of neither confirming nor denying nuclear weapon presence, so commentary rests on observed infrastructure work and aircraft movements. For the DCA mission bombs remain U.S. property under U.S. control until a NATO release, and only then would UK aircraft employ them under Alliance authority.

Basing the F-35A at Marham does not dictate weapon storage. Public material states the aircraft location only. Some media suggest Marham as a future storage site, others point to Lakenheath’s existing U.S. infrastructure. Officials have not confirmed a UK storage site.

NATO nuclear sharing context, participating allies, and the UK industrial footprint

NATO’s DCA architecture uses allied fighters to provide a measured response option under Alliance command. Public sources describe seven contributors. Five are longstanding and well known, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States. Turkey remains associated with the mission, and specialist analysts identify Greece as the seventh contributor. The UK decision adds another air arm once RAF units complete national and NATO certification steps.

Re-entry into an air-delivered role sits alongside the sea-based deterrent. The last RAF nuclear bomb left service in 1998 and warheads were dismantled the same year. Trident-armed submarines have carried the deterrent since. The F-35A purchase does not change that posture – it introduces an Alliance mission held at readiness tiers below the strategic level and activated only under NATO political control.

Programme details remain consistent with earlier statements. Ministers intend to keep lifetime F-35 procurement at up to 138 jets. Moving this tranche to the A-model reduces unit cost compared with additional B-models, according to government figures. The Marham basing choice aligns with existing Lightning Force infrastructure, easing the burden of opening a new main operating base.

Commentary since June differs on how much this shifts deterrence. Some argue the UK contribution mainly adds depth to NATO’s pool, others point to signaling value and Alliance resilience.

Smyth’s move at the end of August created a window to align Air Command, Lightning Force leadership, and MoD policy teams before the next budget cycle and exercise season. Public signals at DSEI suggest the coming quarters will focus on building capacity in nuclear surety, simulator work, and combined exercises with allies that already fly DCA. Our analysis indicates this sequence gives the RAF a structured way to add the mission without disrupting carrier air wing commitments or day-to-day ISR and QRA tasks.

UK to Restore Airborne Nuclear Deterrent with 12 F-35A and RAF Marham Basing

DSEI 2025 remarks and Smyth’s priorities: rebuilding a nuclear-literate RAF

Certification, B61-12 integration and training milestones relevant to the UK F-35A

NATO nuclear sharing context, participating allies, and the UK industrial footprint

REFERENCE SOURCES

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