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Strategic Defence Review 2025: The RAF

The Royal Air Force should fly a mix of “crewed, uncrewed and increasingly autonomous platforms” in the future. This is one of the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), published by the government in June 2025, and confirmed by the then Defence Secretary, John Healey, in the foreword:

We will create a next-generation RAF, with F-35s, upgraded Typhoons, next-generation fast jets through the Global Combat Air Programme, and autonomous fighters to defend Britain’s skies and strike anywhere in the world.   

This briefing examines the key elements of the review as they relate directly to the RAF.

The Strategic Defence Review

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was commissioned by the Labour government shortly after it took office in July 2024 and was published on 2 June 2025 as The Strategic Defence Review 2025 – Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad.

The SDR was independently led by former NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson. The government endorsed the “vision and direction” of the review and has accepted all 62 of its recommendations.

The SDR does not allocate specific funding for new capabilities, except in a few cases. Detailed allocation of funds is expected in a separate, future publication, the Defence Investment Plan.

The SDR’s vision for UK defence

The then Defence Secretary, John Healey, described the SDR as a “landmark shift” in the UK’s approach to deterrence and defence.

The review calls for a transformation in the way that defence is organised and delivered. At its heart are three main premises:

1. A move toward “warfighting readiness”. This requires technological innovation at “a wartime pace”, strengthened homeland defence, a new partnership with industry and radical reform of the way in which defence equipment is procured.
2. A new, more lethal, “Integrated Force” model for the armed forces that uses artificial intelligence and autonomy alongside more conventional warfighting capabilities and which puts “NATO first”.
3. A “whole of society approach” to the review’s implementation, including wider participation in achieving national resilience and renewing the relationship between the armed forces and society.

The main recommendations for the RAF

The review set specific roles for the RAF, which support the wider roles for UK defence. The RAF’s three specific roles are to:

• defend and protect the UK, its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
• contribute to NATO plans to deter and defend in the Euro-Atlantic
• shape the global security environment

The SDR’s recommendations for the RAF reflect the SDR’s vision for UK defence. They focus on evolving combat aircraft, building warfighting readiness and enhancing resilience.

Each of these recommendations is discussed in more detail in this briefing. This briefing does not include commentary or reaction to the recommendations, nor subsequent announcements from the government.

Evolving combat aircraft

The SDR recommends investing in autonomous collaborative platforms to support current and future combat aircraft. These platforms must be able to operate from the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers and work with Typhoon, F-35 and future combat aircraft (built under the Global Combat Air Programme).

The SDR recommends continuing investment in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

The SDR recommends that the government continues to purchase F-35 combat aircraft. This could be a mix of F-35A and F-35B models.

Building warfighting readiness

The SDR recommends exploring a cost-sharing arrangement with NATO allies to buy additional E-7 Wedgetail early warning aircraft.

It also recommends either buying additional A400M transport aircraft or considering civilian charter options for transporting people and cargo to reduce demand on the RAF’s transport aircraft.

It says that the government should consider providing the Protector remotely piloted system with a maritime surveillance capability.

Enhancing resilience

The SDR recommends that the government should invest in and improve RAF Brize Norton and consider alternative commercial facilities if Brize Norton should become unavailable for operations.

The SDR also recommends that the government should replace Hawk T1 and T2 with a cost-effective fast-jet trainer and revise fast-jet flying training arrangements for fast jets to optimise capacity.

It says that the government should review storage and other standards by June 2026 to “remove regulations that place unnecessary constraints on training and impose significant unnecessary cost in the lifecycle of highly expensive weapons”. 

Further Commons Library briefings on the SDR

This briefing is part of series of Commons Library briefings on the 2025 Strategic Defence Review which examine individual aspects of UK defence and the outcomes of the SDR.

Information on the aircraft that the RAF currently flies, aircraft that the RAF hopes to acquire, the role of air power and parliamentary scrutiny of aircraft procurement can be found in the Commons Library briefing UK defence in 2025: aircraft fleets.