The F-35A Lightning II fighter jet has completed ground-based integration tests with the Meteor beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile, moving the pair closer to operational use.
Lockheed Martin, MBDA, and the F-35 Joint Program Office conducted the trials at Edwards Air Force Base in California, involving ground vibration checks and fit verification of the missile’s secure stowage and deployment from the F-35’s internal weapons bay without compromising the aircraft’s stealth profile.
Engineers subjected the installed missile to various frequencies and measured its structural response. One additional ground test remains before the program moves into airborne testing.
As the fifth-generation F-35 aircraft was designed to carry both US and non-US-made weapons, Meteor missile integration is being pursued by Europe’s F-35 operators, with Italy leading the effort for the F-35A and the UK spearheading work on the F-35B.
In February 2025, a Royal Air Force-led campaign conducted the first Meteor flight tests on a US Marine Corps F-35B aircraft, with full in-service capability for the UK projected around the early 2030s.
Meteor Missile
The Meteor missile was developed by a consortium of six European countries including France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain, and Sweden, and led by European weapons producer MBDA.
Powered by a solid-fuel variable-flow ducted ramjet propulsion, the Meteor maintains a sustained thrust throughout flight toward the target, unlike solid-rocket missiles, which decelerate after initial boost.
It also guides itself using a radar seeker during the final flight phase, backed by inertial navigation and a two-way datalink for mid-course updates or retargeting.
When the missile reaches the threat, a blast-fragmentation warhead ensures that targets — including fighter jets, cruise missiles, and drones — are destroyed effectively.
The Meteor can fly day or night, in any weather, and in intense electronic warfare environments, while delivering a significantly larger no-escape zone than similar systems.
Other operators who have integrated the Meteor and achieved operational or advanced testing status include Germany’s Eurofighters, Sweden’s Gripen jets, and South Korea’s domestic KF-21 Boramae combat aircraft.
