Two squadrons of US-made F-35A jets capable of carrying out nuclear strikes will soon arrive at the US-rented Lakenheath base in the United Kingdom to replace F-15s already deployed there, news outlet reported, citing a defense source.
“F-35s will be based [at the base]. They have [been] deployed and will be moving in at the end of this year, if not sometime in 2024,” the source told the newspaper, adding that a total of 54 such jets would replace “significantly” inferior F-15s also capable of carrying nuclear bombs, but with lesser range and stealth.
The new fighters are designed to carry out tactical nuclear bombing but also capable of air-to-air combat and intelligence gathering, the newspaper reported.
The deployment comes after the US Air Force announced that it has secured funding for a new nuclear storage facility in the UK, providing for the return of US nuclear capabilities to the country after their removal in 2008.
