UK reaffirms F-35 commitment but questions remain over 138

UK reaffirms F-35 commitment but questions remain over 138

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to procuring 138 F-35 Lightning aircraft across the life of the programme, but a series of parliamentary answers this week raises as many questions as they answer about what that figure actually means in practice, given the tortured history of the commitment and the continued absence of any concrete plan to reach it. Asked on 21 April whether he remains committed to a total order of 138 aircraft, Mini…