Integrated Review offers F-35 funding relief but cuts not confirmed
The first part of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy has given the F-35 programme a financial shot in the arm, but a question mark over aircraft numbers looks only to be resolved once a ‘Command Paper’ is released on 22 March.
The Integrated Review (IR) of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy by the UK government has allocated additional funding towards the cost of 48 F-35B fighter jet aircraft on order, in a move that offers a way out of a £7.9 billion ($10.97 million) black hole identified by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The first part of the IR – released on 16 March – confirmed that part of an extra £24 billion in defence spending, over four years, will progress UK carrier strike capabilities ‘with at least 48 F-35s by 2025’.
This represents welcome news for decision-makers and
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