UK to buy 12 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons

The United Kingdom is set to purchase at least twelve American F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. According to The Guardian, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the announcement on Wednesday at the NATO summit. Starmer described this as “the biggest strengthening of Britain's nuclear position in a generation”.

The aircraft in question are F-35A fighter jets, which will be stationed at an air base in Norfolk. As well as conventional weapons, the aircraft can be equipped with American nuclear bombs that are three times more powerful than the atomic bombs that the US dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Authorisation to use these weapons is required from the British Prime Minister, the American President, and NATO's Nuclear Planning Group.

The new jets would be based at the Marham airbase, with the acquisition of the planes expected to support 20,000 jobs in the UK, as 15 per cent of the global supply chain for the jets is based in the country.

Source: commonspace.eu with The Guardian and agencies

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Andrii Parubiy shot dead in Lviv - a "shot fired at the heart of Ukraine"

Andrii Parubiy shot dead in Lviv - a "shot fired at the heart of Ukraine"

The former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Andriy Parubiy, has been shot dead in the Ukrainian western city of Lviv. Police received reports of the shooting in the Frankivsk district of Lviv, western Ukraine, at around midday local time on Saturday. Unconfirmed reports suggest he was shot multiple times by a gunman dressed as a courier on an e-bike. Parubiy, 54, rose to prominence during Ukraine's Euromaidan movement, which advocated for closer ties with the EU and brought down pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as a "terrible murder" and offered his condolences. Parubiy was a pivotal figure in the Euromaidan movement, which began after the Ukrainian government refused to sign an association agreement with the EU in late 2013. He later became secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, during a period when pro-Russian separatists began fighting in eastern Ukraine - and when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the annexation of the Crimea peninsula. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Parubiy joined Ukraine's territorial defence. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described Parubiy as "a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraine's freedom, independence and sovereignty". Sybiha added: "He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books." Former President Petro Poroshenko said the killing of Parubiy was "a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine".

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Andrii Parubiy shot dead in Lviv - a "shot fired at the heart of Ukraine"

Andrii Parubiy shot dead in Lviv - a "shot fired at the heart of Ukraine"

The former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Andriy Parubiy, has been shot dead in the Ukrainian western city of Lviv. Police received reports of the shooting in the Frankivsk district of Lviv, western Ukraine, at around midday local time on Saturday. Unconfirmed reports suggest he was shot multiple times by a gunman dressed as a courier on an e-bike. Parubiy, 54, rose to prominence during Ukraine's Euromaidan movement, which advocated for closer ties with the EU and brought down pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as a "terrible murder" and offered his condolences. Parubiy was a pivotal figure in the Euromaidan movement, which began after the Ukrainian government refused to sign an association agreement with the EU in late 2013. He later became secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, during a period when pro-Russian separatists began fighting in eastern Ukraine - and when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the annexation of the Crimea peninsula. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Parubiy joined Ukraine's territorial defence. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described Parubiy as "a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraine's freedom, independence and sovereignty". Sybiha added: "He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books." Former President Petro Poroshenko said the killing of Parubiy was "a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine".