New tactical nuclear bombers for the RAF will close a vital deterrence gap

Telegraph

26-06-2025

The Prime Minister has announced at the Nato summit that the UK will acquire a squadron of F-35A jets for the RAF which will be able to carry US B61 nuclear gravity bombs. Given that we already have submarines carrying Trident ballistic missiles each with multiple nuclear warheads – which are far more dangerous – why are we doing this?
The answer is that we need a full spectrum of possible responses to deter our enemies – to convince them not to do certain things. Vladimir Putin might decide to risk using tactical nukes on the battlefield in Ukraine or in a future attack on other nations, destroying opposing forces and gaining a big military advantage. He might calculate that Britain would be reluctant to make a strategic Trident strike and unleash armageddon in that situation. However, Putin having escalated to the use of tactical nukes, the UK might well feel able to respond using its new tactical option.
Fundamentally, when Putin looked west in February 2022, he saw no conventional or nuclear deterrence to prevent his attacks into Ukraine. This has been exacerbated by President Trump's apparent ambivalence towards Nato and his ambiguity over supporting a Nato country if invaded by Russia. Intentionally or not, this has emboldened Russia. In parallel, some home truths from the US to Nato countries have forced us to take responsibility for the defence of Europe. We are all now pledged to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence which should easily be enough to see off the Russian bear with or without Uncle Sam. The new British tactical option will come as part of this.
The F-35A jet is quite different from the F-35Bs that we already have. The Bs have vertical-thrust equipment, meaning they can make short ski-jump takeoffs and vertical landings, and thus can operate from our aircraft carriers if required. The F-35A has no vertical thrust and thus can only operate from a runway ashore, but it can carry more fuel and so deliver weapons to longer ranges. In this case, however, it is not being chosen primarily for these capabilities but for the fact that it is certified to carry the B61 nuclear bomb and the F-35B is not. This is the only part of the package that one might criticise: a free-falling bomb like the B61 must be dropped from almost directly above its target, meaning that the carrying jet might have to penetrate deeply into an enemy air defence envelope. Using B61s from US inventory also means US control over the weapons use. A nuclear-tipped missile like the supersonic French ASMP provides independence and greater deterrence, but at greater cost.
Nonetheless, as the British military moves away from traditional heavy metal to autonomous drones, AI and cyber warfare, this restoration of tactical nuclear capabilities is by far and away the most significant piece of hard military power that the UK could acquire, and will have more resonance in the Kremlin than any amount of new tanks and attack helicopters.
Putin's failure in the tactical nuclear arms contest is that he has cried nuclear wolf so often, nobody believes he would actually strike. Now the Prime Minister has made the bold move to purchase these jets, he must make it absolutely clear to Putin that we will use them if the situation calls for it. He must not hide behind some clever political ambiguity, which the generals who make the decisions on either side may not interpret correctly.
Tyrants like Putin respect strength and exploit weakness. Tactical nuclear weapons shout 'strength' like nothing else on the planet and will restore the nuclear equilibrium, so helping to guarantee peace between the East and the West for another 85 years.