Britain will require permission from the United States, potentially from Donald Trump if he wins the presidency again, before deploying any tactical nuclear weapons on its new American-made fighter jets.
The UK government has agreed to purchase 12 F-35A fighter jets from the United States, marking the first time since the Cold War that British aircraft will be equipped to carry nuclear warheads. However, the UK has no plans to develop its own independent tactical nuclear weapons. Instead, it will rely on US-supplied B61-12 thermonuclear bombs, which the F-35A jets are designed to carry.
Due to NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements, all US nuclear weapons deployed in allied countries, including the B61S remain under American control. Any nuclear mission involving these weapons must be approved by NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, with final authorisation from both the US president and the British prime minister.
This dependence on Washington has raised concerns within the UK defence community. A senior RAF source questioned why Britain did not negotiate a more autonomous arrangement.
“This is good in terms of NATO cooperation, but there’s a legitimate question about whether the UK should have a sovereign airborne nuclear capability. Why not negotiate a new deal with the Americans to explore that?”
It remains undecided where the US-supplied B61 bombs will be stored on British soil. While Pentagon documents suggest that RAF Lakenheath, a US airbase in the UK, is being considered, another likely option is RAF Marham, a nearby British base. From the UK’s perspective, housing the bombs at a British-controlled facility would align better with national oversight, despite the weapons technically remaining under US ownership and control.
The last British aircraft capable of delivering tactical nuclear bombs was Tornado, which carried the British-made WE177 bomb. That capability was retired in 1998 following the end of the Cold War. Earlier sovereign UK nuclear weapons included the Blue Danube, the first British-made nuclear bomb, carried by V-bombers. In 1956, a Vickers Valiant became the first RAF aircraft to drop a UK atomic bomb during a test in Australia.
Britain yet maintain any tactical nuclear weapons
Since 1998, Britain has not maintained any tactical nuclear weapons, in part due to its commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which advocates for the reduction of nuclear arsenals worldwide. The UK’s only current nuclear deterrent is the Trident system: a fleet of four Vanguard-class submarines carrying strategic nuclear warheads. Unlike the new air-based capability, Trident operates independently of US control in its daily operations.
By contrast, France maintains its independent nuclear force estimated at 300 warheads across both air and sea platforms under its force de dissuasion programme, separate from NATO command.
The UK’s move to reintroduce tactical nuclear capability via American jets has therefore reopened debates about sovereignty, dependency, and deterrence in an era of renewed global tensions.
