MBDA’s Meteor completes first F-35B test flight
The UK is leading the integration of the Meteor missile for the F-35B, while Italy is championing the F-35A. (Photo: Royal Air Force)
The US Marine Corps’ aircraft conducted the first test flight of the missile from Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
MBDA’s Meteor missile has undergone its first test flights on a US Marine Corps F-35B aircraft, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has announced.
The missile was flown to gather data as part of an ongoing campaign to integrate the UK weapon onto its F-35 aircraft and marked a core “milestone” in the programme, the RAF said. An initial contract worth £41 million ($US51 million) contract was awarded in 2017 to integrate the missile onto the platform.
MBDA’s Meteor missile is a beyond visual range air-to-air missile and is currently carried and operated by the Typhoon, the other combat multi-role aircraft flown by the RAF.
Related Articles
Lockheed Martin promotes F-35 as economic ‘catalyst’ ahead of UK budget
In 2019, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and MBDA collaborated to upgrade the UK’s F-35Bs. In 2021, MBDA and BAE Systems were awarded additional funding to complete the integration.
The Ministry of Defence has previously stated that the Meteor missile would be fully operational and integrated onto UK’s F-35Bs by the end of the decade.
Air Commodore Al Roberts, head of air-to-air missiles, RAF, said: “This milestone is a testament to the effective collaboration between the multinational governmental and industrial partnerships that we have in place. Inclusion of Meteor on the Lightning II will bring this formidable air combat capability to the UK and to the burgeoning F-35 community, significantly enhancing security among allies.”
As of the end of 2024, the UK had 37 F-35B aircraft delivered. Lockheed Martin anticipated that 48 aircraft from the UK’s first ordered batch would be delivered by the end of 2025.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence]()
Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence
The rise of drones has reshaped the threat landscape for all European militaries. For industry, future defensive strategies must carefully balance a mix of passive and active measures to address the evolving danger, based around a highly integrated and responsive network of sensors and effectors.
-
![October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges]()
October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges
Recent procurement developments in France and Lithuania highlight the growing demand for loitering munitions, with global annual spending forecast to increase nearly 50-fold between 2020 and 2029.
-
![Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up]()
Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up
Quantum Systems’s Ukraine-made interceptor SPYS is thought to cost approximately 10 times less than Russia's jet-powered uncrewed aerial systems and is being produced at scale.
-
![UK eyes lightweight satellite communications for UAVs]()
UK eyes lightweight satellite communications for UAVs
The UK is seeking to extend the operational reach of uncrewed aerial vehicles, reflecting growing demand for compact, energy-efficient technology to support beyond-line-of-sight operations.
