Britain is in highly sensitive talks to purchase American fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons, according to a new report, representing the biggest development in the UK's deterrent since the Cold War.
Sir Keir Starmer's Government is thought to be pursuing the move as recognition that the world has entered a more dangerous nuclear era, intended to counter the growing threat posed by Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Defence Secretary John Healey and Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of the armed forces, are said to be looking to acquire American-made fighter jets capable of launching gravity bombs with lower power than conventional nuclear weapons.
The Prime Minister has given his backing to the discussions, with talks believed to have taken place with the Pentagon.
Defence Secretary John Healey and Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of the armed forces, are said to be looking to acquire American-made fighter jets capable of launching gravity bombs with lower power than conventional nuclear weapons
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The move would establish a second pillar of Britain's nuclear deterrent alongside its submarine-based missile system.
Radakin, who is stepping down as chief of the defence staff in the autumn, is said to view the expansion of the nuclear deterrent as the UK's biggest defence priority and has long argued for air-launched capabilities in private.
Senior sources told the Times that the UK was looking at procuring Lockheed Martin's F-35A Lightning stealth fighter jet, which the German Luftwaffe has recently ordered, although other types of aircraft are thought to be under consideration.
The jets have a range of 1,400km and can carry the B61 thermonuclear gravity bomb, the United States's primary air-dropped bomb from its stockpile of 3,708 nuclear weapons.
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The Prime Minister is preparing to launch the strategic defence review on Monday from a UK dockyard
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It is expected the UK would carry these American weapons rather than its own nuclear weapons as part of Nato's nuclear-sharing arrangements.
The aircraft would form part of a capability the UK does not currently possess, able to be deployed on the battlefield in scenarios below all-out nuclear war.
The report claims that Britain's military chiefs believe the UK must be able to wield more tactical nuclear capabilities to deter Putin, who has repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation in recent years.
The Prime Minister is preparing to launch the strategic defence review on Monday from a UK dockyard.
The UK are reportedly looking at procuring Lockheed Martin's F-35A Lightning stealth fighter jet
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The review is understood to recommend that the UK looks at expanding its contribution to Nato's shared nuclear deterrence in Europe and seeks to put Britain on a prewar footing with sweeping proposals for rearmament.
Healey said: "The world is definitely becoming more dangerous. Nuclear risks are rising. We face now, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, seriously increasing risks of state-on-state conflict.
“The lesson from Ukraine … is that a country’s armed forces are only as strong as the industry that stands behind them.”
James Cartlidge, Shadow Defence Secretary, said: “I recently called for our deterrent to be strengthened by diversifying how we deliver nuclear weapons, so I welcome the commitment to reintroduce air-launch capabilities."
However, the Tory minister explained that the government should commit to spending three per cent GDP on defence this parliament and that the priority on nuclear must still be to make our strategic continuous at sea deterrent even more resilient.
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