UK purchase first three Joint Strike Fighter aircraft
The future bedrock of the RAF
08:45 GMT, March 19, 2009 During his Washington visit yesterday, British Defence Minister John Hutton emphasized the UK’s commitment to the F-35 Lightning II programme with the purchase of its first three test aircraft. Hutton said that the Ministry of Defence has agreed to acquire three such aircraft built by Lockheed Martin to carry out operational test-and-evaluation work. The aircraft will be delivered 2011 or 2012 and are expected to be worth some $366 million.
Hutton said that the purchase of this test model marked a significant milestone in Britain's commitment to the development of the aircraft and will secure British access to further phases of the programme. Hutton added that 100 British defence firms - from industrial partners down to lower tier suppliers – that are involved in the programme would benefit from the deal.
"It's good news for the UK defence sector, and it will cement relations with the US,” Hutton told reporters.
UK companies and locations involved include BAE Systems - Salmesbury; Rolls-Royce - Filton, Bristol; Ultra Electronics - High Wycombe; Honeywell Normalair - Yeovil; Goodrich Actuation - Wolverhampton and Liverpool; GE Aerospace - Cheltenham; Martin Baker - High Wycombe; and Selex - Farnborough.
In order to save costs, the British Government has proven the possibility of not acquiring low-rate initial-production aircraft for its test programme, as Italy has made. However, the MoD confirmed that the cost of the three jets will be included under this year’s financial planning round, suggesting that the programme has been spared in the budget squeeze.
UK is the sole “level one” partner, which gives it (or at least is supposed to give) a direct influence over the evolution of the JSF design. From this point of view, a decision not to go along with the purchase of the three test aircraft would have been tantamount to effectively abandoning the programme and writing off the investment that has already been made. That British government has, to date, invested $2.9 billion in the JSF programme, which is expected to cost $300 billion to develop.
The UK MoD plans to acquire a total of 138 JSFs, which Hutton describes as the "future bedrock" of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The new aircraft will replace the Harrier and operate both from land bases as well as from the Royal Navy’s two new 65,000-ton Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers due to be commissioned in 2015
Beside Britain, the F-35 JSF is being developed for Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, and the United States.
Luca Bonsignore
