RAF unveils stealth fighter as Gavin Williamson promises post-Brexit global commitment

Defence secretary says advanced warplanes show ‘next century of British air power’

The RAF’s new stealth fighter has been unveiled by defence secretary Gavin Williamson, who said it heralded a “new era” for British defence with a fresh commitment to the “world stage” following Brexit.

One of the most advanced warplanes in the world, the F-35 Lightning has reached a state of combat readiness for deployment in conflict zones. It will operate alongside an upgraded version of the Typhoon, which has been used in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

That fighter will also be replaced in the next decades by the Tempest, which will be able to fly unmanned and use “swarming technology” using artificial intelligence and directed energy weapons – a ranged weapon that destroys targets with highly focused energy, including laser, microwaves and particle beams.

Meanwhile, the Tornado will be phased out of service at the end of the year following 40 years of active service.

The advanced aircraft, Mr Williamson said, shows the “next century of British air power”.

Speaking at RAF Marham, where the Lightnings will be based, he added: “We are setting our sights on the next 100 years. Our nation is moving into a new era outside the EU and our huge achievements in air capability make our commitment to a role on the world stage clear to both our allies and our enemies.”

Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institue who specialises in combat air power, said: “If the UK is going to have answers to a resurgent Russian threat we absolutely need Typhoon and F-35 working together, which needs quite a bit of modernisation. In theory both complement each other brilliantly, but you need to get the modernisation before that becomes a reality”.

The Typhoon has undergone £425m of work in the past three years and is now armed with the missiles Storm Shadow, Meteor and Brimstone. Around £550m will be invested in the Norfolk air base to accommodate the two types of aircraft.

Mr Williamson said: “The incredible F-35 jets are ready for operations, a transformed Typhoon has the power to dominate the skies into the 2040s and we continue to look even further into an ambitious future. The RAF has long shown Britain at its great and global best and today it lifts our nation to even greater heights.”

British firms have been involved in producing 15 per cent of the components of over 3,000 of the F-35s, which are manufactured in the US, worldwide. The Ministry of Defence said the work was projected to be worth around £35bn to the national economy and supported around 25,000 jobs in the country.

The F-35 programme is one of the largest and most expensive military programmes in history. The main funding for it comes from the US along with contributions from Nato allies the UK, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands and Turkey.

The production has come under scrutiny and criticism in the US and other countries with claims that it was initially plagued with design flaws as well as complaints about the procurement process. According to some calculations, the programme was $163bn (£148bn) over budget by 2014 and seven years behind schedule.

However, the manufacturers, led by Lockheed Martin and subcontractors including BAE Systems, hold that the problems have been ironed out and the success of the project can be seen in the numbers of aircraft ordered.