BRITAIN looks set to introduce jets armed with nuclear weapons for the first time as part of the latest defensive expansion against Russia.
The government is in talks with US officials over the move, which would be the UK’s biggest deterrent development since the Cold War.
EPABritain’s tactical nukes and V-bombers were decommissioned after the Cold War[/caption]
APBritain’s Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin has called for the move[/caption]
AlamyInvestment in the aircraft would mean the UK would be able to launch nuclear weapons from both air and sea[/caption]
Sir Keir Starmer will launch a strategic defence review on Monday as the government looks to help Europe counter Putin’s threat.
The review points to the UK expanding its contribution to NATO‘s nuclear deterrence across the continent.
It also recommends that the country’s defence industry should be on standby for rearmament.
Defence Secretary John Healey and Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of the armed forces, are leading talks with the Pentagon.
They are looking to purchase fighter jets capable of carrying gravity bombs with lower power than conventional nuclear weapons.
Britain’s tactical nukes and V-bombers were decommissioned in favour of the Vanguard submarine programme after the Cold War.
Investment in the aircraft would mean the UK would be able to launch nuclear weapons from both air and sea.
At present, the military is only able to launch from one platform.
Whereas US forces possess nuclear launch capabilities from land, air and sea.
American-built F-35 A Lightning stealth jets look to be the target for the government, with the jets having been recently procured by German military forces.
They have a range of almost 900 miles and are capable of carrying a B61 thermonuclear gravity bomb.
Radakin is understood to view the move as the UK’s number one defence priority.
Speaking to The Times, the Defence Secretary admitted that nuclear risks across the globe are rising.
He said: “The world is definitely becoming more dangerous. Nuclear risks are rising.
“For the first time since the Cold War, we face 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 behind them.”
It comes as the government insisted it would reach its target to hike defence spending to three per cent GDP by 2034.
Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Sir Keir said the time had come to “transform how we defend these islands”.
AFPSir Keir Starmer will launch a strategic defence review on Monday[/caption]
AFPDefence Secretary John Healey admitted global nuclear risks are rising[/caption]
PABritain hopes to expand its contribution to NATO’s nuclear deterrence against Russia[/caption]
He added: “We will meet this moment head on — by mounting the kind of response not seen before in most of our lifetimes.
“We will restore Britain’s war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our Armed Forces.
“We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces.
“So we must be ready to fight and win. After all, the best way to prevent conflict is by preparing for it.”
Revealing details of the long-awaited Strategic Defence Review, he revealed the UK will move to wartime levels of arms production by building six new munitions factories.
The £1.5billion investment will create or support nearly 2,000 jobs across the country.
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