Meteor integration on F-35s for RAF

The British MoD has contracted MBDA for the integration of the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air- to- Air Missile (BVRAAM) on the RAF’s new F-35 Lightning II, including test assets, productionisation and engineering work needed to support Meteor’s compatibility with the F-35. The contract follows-on from the successful firing trials of MBDA’s Advanced Short Range Air-to-

Air Missile (ASRAAM) from the F-35 earlier this year. ASRAAM is being integrated onto the F-35 as part of the aircraft’s Block 3 SDD programme. To follow shortly will be integration with the F-35 of MBDA’s SPEAR precision surface attack missile. Meteor and SPEAR are advanced weapons that complement the ‘5th gen’ F-35, bringing networked capability with stand-off and both weapons are key elements of the UK’s carrier strike capability in the future.