F-35 Conducts First Flight With Meteor BVRAAM

A significant advancement in fighter aircraft capabilities has been achieved with the first test flights of the F-35 Lightning II carrying the European-developed Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM). This milestone marks an important step in expanding the weapons portfolio for the fifth-generation fighter and strengthening international defense cooperation.

Historic First Flight and Testing Program

On February 28, 2025, the Royal Air Force announced that a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B completed the first test missions with the Meteor missile. The flights were conducted by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23) operating from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. During these initial tests, a single inert Meteor missile was carried in the starboard weapons bay alongside an AIM-120 AMRAAM.

These first flights are primarily focused on gathering environmental data as part of the broader campaign to integrate UK weapons onto the F-35 platform. Air Commodore Al Roberts, RAF’s Head of Air-to-Air Missiles, highlighted the significance of this achievement, stating: “This milestone is a testament to the effective collaboration between the multinational governmental and industrial partnerships that we have in place. Inclusion of Meteor onto 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.”

International Collaboration

The integration effort represents extensive collaboration between multiple stakeholders. The UK is leading the integration campaign for the F-35B variant at the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF), while Italy is sponsoring similar work for the F-35A model. This testing was made possible through cooperation between the UK and US governments, along with organizations including the Ministry of Defence, Defence Equipment & Support, and industrial partners MBDA and Lockheed Martin.

The Meteor integration is part of a broader initiative that began in 2019 when BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and MBDA started development work to upgrade the UK’s F-35 weapon systems with both the Meteor air-to-air missile and the SPEAR 3 air-to-surface missile. This was followed by a 2021 contract to complete the integration of these new weapons on both Italian and British F-35s, continuing the strategy of maintaining weapons commonality with their Typhoon fleets.

Meteor’s Advanced Capabilities

The Meteor BVRAAM represents cutting-edge missile technology developed by a European consortium led by MBDA for the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Sweden. What distinguishes this missile from competitors is its ramjet propulsion system a solid fuel, variable flow, ducted rocket that provides significant performance advantages over standard rocket motors like those used in the AIM-120 AMRAAM.

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The key advantage of Meteor’s propulsion system is its throttling capability, allowing the missile to conserve energy during the cruise phase and then increase thrust when approaching the target. This results in a larger No-Escape Zone and higher energy state during terminal attack, even when the target employs defensive maneuvers. The missile’s effectiveness is further enhanced by a datalink that provides mid-course target updates from the launching aircraft, improving the Probability of Kill.

Currently deployed on Typhoon, Gripen, and Rafale fighters, the Meteor’s integration on the F-35 represents a significant expansion of this European weapons system to the world’s most advanced fighter platform, strengthening both European defense capabilities and transatlantic military cooperation.

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