No Spear 3 for British F-35B before 2030

The British F-35B strike fighter aircraft is to go without a long-range air-to-surface strike capability until 2030, according to a written answer submitted by Maria Eagle, the Minister of State for Defence, to the UK’s Parliament on the 19th May. 

“The Spear Capability 3 air-to-surface weapon programme is currently undergoing re-baselining, with a Review Note expected towards the end of 2025. Until that is approved, dates are considered draft and of low confidence. The estimated current timeline for in-service capability is expected to be early 2030s,” she wrote in response to a question from Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon. 

This means that the UK’s fleet of F-35Bs will continue to only have the Paveway IV guided bomb for use in the air-to-ground role until Spear or an alternate capability is brought into service.

Spear 3 (Selective Precision Effects At Range) is described as a miniature cruise missile, at 1.8 metres long it is less than half the length of a Storm Shadow. The missiles weigh around 90 kg and are armed with a multimode warhead and a programmable fuze. The range is said to be in excess of 140 km, which would enable them to operate beyond the reach of many Russian air defence systems, assuming that they can be found at those ranges. 

The missiles are designed specifically to work with the F-35’s sensors and internal weapons bay. They are capable of swarming and to be used for suppression/destruction of enemy air defence (SEAD/DEAD) missions. Operating without them, British aircraft would have to come too close to Russian air defences and would be unlikely to survive, even with the F-35’s advanced stealth and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as the introduction of StormShroud.

The delays with Spear 3 are further complicated by the decision not to integrate the StormShadow cruise missile into the British F-35B fleet, which means that there are no other long-range air-t0-surface weapons planned for the UK’s 5th generation aircraft. 

Other programmes

Perhaps one way to look at this problem is through the lens of what other F-35 users have procured to furnish their long-range strike capabilities. This will help give some perspective on the sate of affairs in the UK. The list below provides an overview of what information is available. 

• Australia: The US approved the sale of 80 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) to Australia in 2022 at an estimated value of $235 million (£190 million / €223 million). The missiles are to be used on both the F/A-18 and F-35 fleet. A contract was also signed with Kongsberg in 2024 for the Joint Strike Missile, a land-attack variant of the Naval Strike Missile with a range of 275 km depending on the flight profile. The deal provided the Australian F-35A fleet with a long-range missile designed for internal carriage, whereas the JASSM-ER would have to be carried externally. Furthermore, the sale of thousands of GBU-53/B StormBreakers to Australia has been approved. 
• Finland: Finland requested that its F-35A fleet be provided with the Joint Strike Missile integrated, no contracts for the missile have been announced. Finland has also received approval to purchase the AARGM-ER, which can be carried by the F-35.
• Italy: Italy’s navy announced its decision in 2024 to equip its F-35B fleet with both the Joint Strike Missile and Spear 3. The aim of the procurement was to ensure that the Italian Navy had enough missiles for a six-month operational scenario. Italy will also integrate the GBU-53/B StormBreaker into its fleet. 
• Japan: Japan signed for the Joint Strike Missile in 2019 and has since placed three follow-on contracts valued at a total of at least $300 million (£241 million / €277 million).
• The Netherlands: The Netherlands signed an agreement outlining its intent to buy up to 120 JASSM-ER at an estimated price of USD 908 million (€837.5 million) for integration onto its F-35s. The country also plans to procure AARGM-ER, contributing to its SEAD/DEAD capability.
• Norway: Norway signed a contract with Kongsberg in 2021 for the Joint Strike Missile, The country recognised at that time that the weapon was critical to the F-35 reaching its full operational capability. The Norwegian Air Force has also signed for the GBU-53/B StormBreaker small diameter bomb. 
• Poland: Poland ordered 200 of the AARGM-ER (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles – Extended Range) missiles in 2025, which are set to be delivered between 2029 and 2035. AARGM-ER will provide Polish F-35s with a dedicated SEAD/DEAD missile with a range of 200 km. 
• US: The US Air Force has also signed contracts for the Joint Strike Missile, with a contract in 2024 and 2025. A DoD notice related to the procurement from 2023 indicated that 268 missiles would be bought under this programme with 50 in 2024, followed by 54, 57 and 59 in the three years following. The US is also expected to add the GBU-53/B StormBreaker to its F-35 arsenal, as it is already used on other US air platforms. 

This list – plus the UK – covers eight of the 11 existing F-35 users and one future user, indicating that the majority have either ordered long-range strike weapons for their aircraft, or are in the process of ordering them. No information could be found for Denmark or Israel in this regard, and there is some indication that Belgium may also be considering the Joint Strike Missile.

So, it is apparent that the UK is not alone in not having a long-range air-t0-surface weapon for its most advanced strike aircraft. Some of this can be attributed to the lengthy amount of time it takes to bring a jet fully into service.  It is also clear that few F-35 users have internally-carried long-range strike capabilities that are available to them right now. Correcting this will no doubt be a priority for European governments in the near future, but doing so sooner rather than later would probably be desirable. 

Calibre comment

By most accounts, the F-35 is an incredibly capable and survivable aircraft, especially in the SEAD/DEAD role. However, it cannot conduct those missions without adequate weaponry. If, as some European intelligence agencies predict, Russia is in a position to threaten Europe in the next 3 – 5 years, then the Royal Air Force (RAF) might find that it has very little to contribute in shaping the air domain. Connected to this, there is some debate and focus on the number of F-35s that the UK intends to buy, which is understandable given that the UK has sent its Carrier Strike Group to the Indo-Pacific with 24 of its 32 F-35Bs. This effectively means that the RAF would have to rely on its Typhoon fleet for any scenario outside of the Indo-Pacific until the strike group returns. So, increasing the number of F-35s in British service makes some sense as it would enable the UK to deploy to several theatres, or more completely resource an all-out effort against a peer adversary. However, all of that will be meaningless without an array of air-to-ground missiles that provide much greater range than a guided bomb. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 22nd May, 2025.

Credit for the featured image at the top of the page is AS1 Amber Mayall RAF/© UK MOD Crown Copyright 2024. It shows an F-35 Lightning of 617 Squadron under the Northern Lights in the Vest Fjorden, during Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER. The jet was onboard the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier at the time.