The UK is committed to buying 138 F-35 fighters over the lifetime of the programme, a number reiterated on 17 October in a Hansard written parliamentary response. There was also on average a gap of 68 weeks between completing Basic Flying Training and beginning Advanced Fast Jet Training for RAF pilots. On 25 October it was revealed that the average time between beginning the Lightning II operational conversion course and achieving combat ready status is 20 months. According to official UK Government figures the average wait time for RAF trainee pilots from completing the Military Flying Training System to starting their Operational Conversion Units for Typhoon and F-35 is approximately 11 and 12 months respectively. ![]() On 11 October, James Heappey, Minister of State at the MoD and Minister for the Armed Forces, stated in a written parliamentary response that measures to offset delays in UK military pilot training included sending trainees to NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training in the US, as well as accelerating planning for No 11 Squadron (the joint Qatar/UK Typhoon unit) to train pilots from late 2022 until 2027.Įven without the delays, it takes several years to train pilots on the UK’s main frontline fast jets of the F-35B and Eurofighter Typhoon. Issues with fast jet training have been widely documented in recent months, with UK trainee pilots waiting years in a pipeline plagued by reliability issues with the Hawk trainer jets, among other issues. Of delays to UK pilot training, Wallace told the Defence Committee that “we have gone backwards from when I gave my instruction to the Chief of the Air Staff ”.
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