European progress on the F-35: the Meteor missile passes ground tests. Italy leads the way, while British delays raise industry questions.

The F-35As are a crucial step closer to using Europe's long-range Meteor air-to-air missile, after completing a series of ground-based integration tests in the United States. This news, while celebrating the excellence of Europe's defense, also highlights the complexities and delays typical of large international weapons programs.

The ground test campaign , conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, California, saw the completion of vibration checks and physical fit assessments. The goal? To ensure that the F-35, a fifth-generation aircraft, can safely accommodate and deploy the missile within its internal bay without compromising its essential stealth profile.

The Lockheed-led industrial team called these tests "a critical step" before the start of flight testing. For the European company MBDA , which produces the Meteor (powered by a ramjet engine), integration onto a platform like the F-35 is vital to fully exploit its Beyond Visual Range (BVRAAM) combat capabilities.

Cross roles and the Italian contribution

Behind the integration of Meteor lies an interesting framework of European cooperation (and competition):

• Italy: Italy is sponsoring the integration of the missile onto the conventional take-off and landing variant ( F-35A ), an investment that strengthens Italy's role in the joint program and supports European industry.
• United Kingdom: The United Kingdom is leading the integration effort for the short take-off and vertical landing ( F-35B STOVL ) variant. Flight testing of an F-35B has already begun in collaboration with the U.S. Government and the Marine Corps.

There is now only one ground test left before the final green light for the F-35A's flight phase.

The thorn in the side of British delays

The good news about the tests, however, is overshadowed by the concerns stirring the British front, perfectly in line with the trend towards postponing major public contracts that we are all too familiar with.

The Meteor missile, which was scheduled to reach full operational capability in 2027, has been postponed to the early 2030s . The reasons have not been officially specified in detail, but a UK parliamentary report has pointed to a triad of classic problems that are so popular with government accountants:

• “Poor Supplier Performance” (MBDA).
• “Ineffective trade negotiations” by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• “Low priority” assigned to Meteor within the overall F-35 program.

Complicating matters, the UK is facing a similar delay with the integration of the Spear 3 long-range air-to-surface missile (also from MBDA) for ground attack, which has also been pushed back to the early 2030s. The delay in the latter has been described by the MoD as its "top concern" related to the F-35 fleet.

In short, while European industry is achieving a major technical milestone, the bureaucracy and management of multi-year programs are showing their cracks, transforming a technological success into a potential time and cost burden for the purchasing states, including Italy (which, despite directly sponsoring the operation, must adhere to the global program's timeframe).

This translates into a loss of capability of the F35 fighter in the so-called “Beyond Visual Line of Sight Combat”, which is the factor with the most significant evolution in modern Air Force aviation.

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Main features of the Meteor Missile	Technical Details
Weight	190 kg
Length	3.65 meters
Diameter	17.8 cm
Motor	Throttleable ducted rocket (Ramjet)
Maximum Speed	Mach 4
Operational Range	120 km (Official); 200 km+ (Estimated)
No Escape Zone (NEZ)	60 km+

Questions and Answers

Why is the integration of the Meteor missile onto the F-35 so important for Italy and Europe?

The Meteor is an air-to-air missile designed and produced in Europe (MBDA), born from a collaboration between six nations. For Italy and other European F-35 customers, equipping their fighters with non-US weapons means strengthening their strategic autonomy and the European defense industry. Integration on the Italian-sponsored F-35A variant guarantees a decisive operational advantage thanks to the missile's ramjet engine and network-enabled connectivity, allowing the F-35 to maximize its performance in long-range combat.

What do the ground tests completed in California consist of?

Recent testing at Edwards Air Force Base focused primarily on structural and fit checks. Engineers performed vibration tests and fit checks to ensure the Meteor missile is physically compatible with the F-35A's internal bay. This is crucial to confirming that the weapon can be safely housed, transported, and deployed at high speeds and under stress, while preserving the aircraft's stealth capability, its primary advantage.

What are the economic implications of delays in arms integration for the UK?

Delays, such as the postponement of Meteor and Spear 3 until the early 2030s, have significant implications for costs and operational capability. For the UK Ministry of Defence, they mean a longer reliance on older weapons (such as the AIM-120D AMRAAM) and increased program management costs. Criticisms of "poor supplier performance" (MBDA) and "ineffective commercial negotiations" point to problems in public procurement management, a key issue for any economy investing heavily in national defense.

The article European progress on the F-35: Meteor missile passes ground tests. Italy leads the way, while British delays raise industry questions. comes from Scenari Economici .

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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/progressi-europei-sullf-35-il-missile-meteor-supera-i-test-a-terra-litalia-in-prima-linea-mentre-i-ritardi-britannici-sollevano-domande-industriali/ on Sat, 06 Dec 2025 14:19:56 +0000.