Ministers swither over carrier jet
Armed forces chiefs are reportedly recommending they should revert to a decision by the last Labour government to equip the carriers with the F35B jump-jet variant of the American-built joint strike fighter.
It would mean reversing a decision in the government’s 2010 strategic defence and security review to switch to the F35C carrier version, which has a longer range and carries a bigger payload.
However, the cost of fitting the necessary catapults and arrestor gear to one of the carriers, while the other ship is mothballed, has since spiralled to a reported £1.8 billion.