(London) – Britain is reportedly holding confidential talks with the United States about buying American fighter jets capable of carrying tactical nuclear bombs, marking what could become the country’s most substantial defence build-up since the Cold War. According to The Times, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey support introducing an air-based nuclear deterrent to complement the United Kingdom’s submarine-based system.
At the centre of the plan is the possible purchase of US-made F-35A Lightning II jets, which are capable of deploying the B61 tactical nuclear bomb. The B61 bomb has a variable explosive yield ranging from 0.3 to 340 kilotons. For context, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of approximately 15 kilotons.
Although official confirmation has not yet been given, this strategic shift is expected to be outlined in the UK’s new Strategic Defence Review, set for release on 3 June. While the review does not explicitly mention the introduction of air-delivered nuclear weapons, it proposes expanding Britain’s role in NATO’s shared nuclear deterrence framework in Europe.
This expansion would include around £6 billion (approximately 7.6 billion US dollars) in new defence funding. Of that amount, £1.5 billion (around 1.9 billion US dollars) is expected to be used for constructing six new defence-related factories, creating an estimated 1,000 jobs across the UK.
Defence Secretary Healey noted that the world is entering a “new era of threats” and said that the risk of nuclear weapon use is now at its highest level since the Cold War. “This is a signal to Moscow that we are prepared to respond if necessary,” he said, sending a clear message to the Russian dictator.
The United Kingdom had previously retired its air-delivered nuclear capability in 1998 when the WE.177 bombs were decommissioned, leaving Trident-equipped submarines as the sole nuclear deterrent. However, in 2021, the UK began working with the United States to upgrade facilities in Britain to support potential future deployments of US nuclear weapons. A 2023 NATO document listed the UK among the countries whose “special weapons” infrastructure would be modernised.
This renewed interest in an air-based nuclear component comes at a time of heightened global tension, particularly with continued aggression from the Kremlin in Ukraine and increasing instability caused by the Russian dictator’s regime.
