2021 Report details for project: Lightning II Programme

Project name Lightning II Programme - there are 11 reports for this project: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
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Organisation MOD (D17 ) - see all reports for this organisation
Report year 2021 (data is from March 2021)
Category Military - see all reports for this category
Description: The intent of the Lightning Programme is the delivery of a multi-role, carrier-capable fighter aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, to be operated jointly by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. The F-35 provides the UK with a survivable, sustainable, expeditionary, Fifth Generation air capability in order to contribute to the widest possible range of operations. The Programme achieved Initial Operating Capability (Land) in December 2018, to deploy aircraft, held at Very High Readiness, from RAF Marham to a Deployed Operating Base and conduct an initial surge and enduring operation. In December 2020, Initial Operating Capability (Maritime) was declared to enable Lightning to deploy to a Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier and conduct operations from a land or sea base, contributing to the UK's Carrier Strike capability from this stage. Full Operating Capability (Concurrent Operations) will enable the full mass of the Lightning Force, including a second Front Line squadron, to deploy from RAF Marham to either a Deployed Operating Base and/or Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier to conduct an initial surge and enduring operation. Full Operating Capability (Concurrent Operations) is planned for December 2023, supporting the simultaneous Full Operating Capability (Carrier Strike) declaration.
DCA (RAG) Amber/Red
DCA text: Compared to financial year 19/20-Q2, the Infrastructure Project Authority's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating increased from Amber to Amber/red. This is primarily due to the following factors: Force Growth (sufficient numbers of trained and qualified personnel as well as aircraft) remains an issue and is being tracked and reported through quarterly Programme Boards. Funding approvals for the second Deployed Spares Pack and the second Front Line squadron (809 Naval Air Squadron) Infrastructure at RAF Marham are being sought for contract placement in the coming months to enable Full Operating Capability.
Start date 2001-10-01
End date 2035-03-31
Schedule text Compared to financial year 19/20-Q2, the project's end-date remained scheduled to finish on 31 March 2035 This is primarily due to the following factors: the assumed end of F-35B production.
Baseline £700.04m
Forecast £636.67m
Variance -9.00%
Variance text: The budget variance exceeds 5%. The main driver for In-Year underspend comes from the recognition of income due from the global sales of F-35. This was enabled through the UK's investment, as a Tier 1 Partner, in the design and development of the capability. In addition, there were other minor movements that contributed to in-year underspend including review of project costs and accounting leading to the realisation of cost savings, favourable movement in the UK£:US$ exchange rate in the latter half of the Financial Year and refinement of the project's schedule and estimates, partly reflecting COVID impacts, led to a small reduction against planned expenditure.
Whole Life Cost £10,164.26m
WLCost text: Compared to financial year 19/20-Q2, the projects Baseline Whole Life Cost decreased from 10393.30m to £10164.26m. This is primarily due to the following factors: This is primarily due to the removal of erroneous foreign exchange approvals.
Notes1:
Notes2:
Sourcefile IPA_2021.csv

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Acknowledgement: GMPP data has been re-used under the Open Government Licence.