Key takeaways
- An F-35B released an inert Meteor missile from its internal weapons bay for the first time on October 7, 2026, and the result was announced on November 5.
- The trial was a jettison test to confirm safe separation, not a live firing, and the missile cannot yet be used operationally on British or Italian F-35Bs.
- Meteor is already in service on the Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen, so the F-35 work concerns integration with a US-built stealth jet rather than a new weapon.
- Integration depends on the wider F-35 Block 4 upgrade, which the US Government Accountability Office has described as years behind schedule.
An F-35B Lightning II fighter released an inert Meteor air-to-air missile from its internal weapons bay for the first time on October 7, 2026, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The trial was announced by MBDA and the F-35 Joint Program Office on November 5. The test matters because it moves a European long-range missile one step closer to the stealth jets that anchor British and Italian air power, but it is a separation trial and not yet a combat capability.
The sortie was flown by a Royal Navy test pilot from the Air and Space Warfare Centre, working with the joint UK-US F-35 Integrated Test Force. The British, US and Italian defence ministries support the integration work alongside Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, MBDA and Northrop Grumman.
What exactly happened in the F-35B Meteor test?
The Meteor is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, meaning it is designed to engage aircraft at distances beyond what a pilot can see. The test missile was dropped from the bay without its rocket motor firing or its control surfaces activating. The aim was to confirm safe separation and gather aerodynamic data to refine models ahead of more demanding release trials.
Aerotime, an aviation outlet, put the distinction plainly: the test was a jettison, not a live missile firing. According to MBDA, the flight data will also be used to refine digital models of the weapon’s release characteristics.
The event follows earlier work. The Royal Air Force announced on February 28, 2025, that a US Marine Corps F-35B had flown with a Meteor in its weapons bay. The first such flight took place on November 20, 2024. That campaign used an inert missile to collect environmental data, while the October 2026 test is the first actual release from the internal bay.
Why does an existing missile need so much testing on the F-35B?
Meteor is not new. It was developed through a six-nation European programme involving the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, and is in active service on the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen. The difficulty lies in the aircraft. The F-35 carries weapons internally to preserve its low radar signature, and each new store must be shown to leave the bay safely in the airflow beneath the jet.
One Meteor can be carried in each of the B variant’s two weapons bays, which lets the aircraft keep its stealth. Britain leads the integration work on the F-35B, while Italy sponsors it on the conventional take-off F-35A. The programme is meant to give British and Italian F-35B crews another way to engage both crewed and autonomous aircraft beyond visual range.
What does the test mean for NATO air power?
For European NATO members that fly the F-35, the test is part of a broader question: how quickly allies can field their own weapons on a US-built jet. Navy Lookout, a UK naval analysis site, called the test a small but welcome step in a long-delayed effort to integrate British weapons on the Lightning. It added that Meteor and the SPEAR-3 precision strike missile have been planned for the Lightning for many years, but neither is yet available operationally.
The timeline has shifted. Meteor was already operational on the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon jets. Earlier reporting noted that a February 2022 government document had indicated British F-35Bs would carry Meteor by the middle of this decade. A later report said the UK Ministry of Defence’s January 2024 announcement set the end of the decade for deploying Meteor and SPEAR 3.
Why is the wider F-35 upgrade a constraint?
Weapons integration is tied to the F-35 modernisation effort known as Block 4, which depends on a hardware and software package called Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3). As of September 2025, Block 4 was at least $6 billion over budget and years behind schedule, partly because of TR-3 delays, according to Defense News. Lockheed Martin said it expected to complete Block 4 modernisations by 2032 at the latest.
The US Government Accountability Office reported that TR-3 hardware and software enabling some Block 4 capabilities were due in 2026, about three years behind schedule. Whether Meteor integration on the F-35B will track that schedule is not stated in the announcements reviewed. Nothing in the sources gives a date for operational clearance.
Fleet availability is a separate issue. Simple Flying, citing National Audit Office reporting, said the existing UK Lightning fleet often has availability rates below 60 percent because of shortages of engineers, instructors and spare parts. That figure comes from a secondary outlet and was not confirmed against the audit office text.
What to watch
- Further jettison trials: MBDA said further trials over the coming months will check that the missile clears the aircraft safely across its operating envelope.
- First live firing: MBDA said the developmental releases will culminate in live firings to confirm both separation and weapon fly-out performance. No date has been published.
- SPEAR-3 progress: the precision strike missile remains the other major British weapon awaiting F-35B integration.
- Block 4 and TR-3 milestones: further GAO and Pentagon assessments will show whether the software foundation for new weapons is stabilising.
- Italian F-35A work: progress on the conventional variant will indicate how far the shared UK-Italian programme is advancing.
Frequently asked questions
What did the F-35B Meteor test involve?
An F-35B flown by a Royal Navy test pilot released an inert Meteor missile from its internal weapons bay on October 7, 2026, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The missile's motor and control surfaces were not active. The test confirmed safe separation and produced data for later trials.
Is the Meteor missile operational on the F-35B?
No. Navy Lookout reported that neither Meteor nor SPEAR-3 is yet operationally available on the British Lightning. MBDA said further release trials will run over the coming months and will end in live firings. No operational clearance date has been announced in the sources reviewed.
Which countries are integrating Meteor on the F-35?
The United Kingdom and Italy. Britain leads integration on the F-35B, while Italy sponsors it on the F-35A. The US Marine Corps provided the test aircraft, and the work involves Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, MBDA and Northrop Grumman, with support from the three defence ministries.
Sources
- Royal Navy pilot conducts first F-35B Meteor missile release test
- F-35 Joint Program Office says F-35B released a Meteor missile from its internal bay for the first time
- F-35B releases Meteor missile from internal weapons bay for first time
- F-35B Releases Meteor BVRAAM for the First Time
- F-35B drops Meteor missile from internal bay in first test
- A Meteor missile has made its first flight on an F-35B, RAF reveals
- Lockheed Martin expects F-35 tech upgrades to last through 2032
- F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Actions Needed to Address Late Deliveries (GAO)
- British Navy tests F-35B fighter jet equipped with Meteor missile for first time
- British Navy tests F-35B jet with Meteor missile for first time
Top image: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.
