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The UK has more state-of-the-art F-35 fast jets than pilots because of problems with flying training, Sky News reports, citing the defence secretary.

The Ministry of Defence only has just over 20 of the next-generation £100m warplanes but cannot even man all of them, Ben Wallace confirmed.

"It's a shambles," a former Royal Air Force officer said.

Speaking to a committee of Peers, the defence secretary described the situation as "quite a challenge", claiming that the deficit in pilots was also because the F-35 Lightning aircraft is new.

However, the Ministry of Defence formally announced its intention to buy the jets - a programme led by the United States and the US defence giant Lockheed Martin - back in 2006, and the first British pilot flew one in 2010.

The defence secretary conceded that the military's flying training - beset by delays, with pilots waiting up to eight years to qualify instead of the target time of between two-to-three years - was a key factor.

"Our pilot pipeline is not in a place I would want it to be," Mr Wallace said.

Britain originally intended to buy 138 of the F-35 jets over time.

However, at present it has only bought 27 of the aircraft.