On Wednesday 29 October, the House of Lords International
Relations and Defence Committee will hear evidence on UK–US
defence collaboration with a particular focus on the F-35
programme.
The session will start at 10.30am and will be available
to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV or attend in
person in Committee Room 3, Palace
of Westminster.
Giving evidence will be:
10.30am
-
Dr Sophy Antrobus, Co-Director, Freeman Air
and Space Institute, King's College London; and
-
Professor Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow
for Airpower and Technology, Royal United Services Institute
(RUSI).
Questions will include:
- How do you assess the level of UK-US collaboration on the
F-35 programme? In particular, how does the UK's Level 1 partner
status shape its influence over the programme?
- How effectively are UK and US F-35s integrated operationally,
and what lessons does this offer for broader defence cooperation,
including in other domains?
- What are the potential risks or constraints for the UK in
maintaining a fleet that remains fully interoperable with US
forces? How might factors such as evolving US defence priorities,
industrial dependencies or technological changes affect the UK's
operational independence and strategic flexibility?
- How have disagreements or delays within the F-35 programme
affected broader UK– US defence planning and joint operational
commitments?
- How does reliance on the US production and maintenance
pipeline impact the UK's ability to project independent military
capability?
