Bad weather halts arrival of all-weather warplanes

Bad weather meant four “all-weather” F-35 Lightning II warplanes, costing £150million each, were unable to reach the UK from South Carolina.

The late arrival of Britain’s newest and most expensive jets left a party of officials bound for an RAF base in Norfolk with a hole in their diaries, according to The Times. The Ministry of Defence said the cause of the delay was “adverse weather”. However, one defence source said the decision to postpone the flight was “pathetic”.

An RAF spokesman said: “Our F-35s are ahead of schedule and can fly in all weather conditions when they need to. With there being no rush, we are simply considering flight safety.”