Publication	ASD News
Date	2009-12-23
Web Link	www.asdnews.com

(Fort Worth, Texas, December 22, 2009) -- The Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) program has announced that the United Kingdom has received financial approval to purchase its third Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II operational test aircraft, reinforcing the U.K.'s continued commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter program's upcoming Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E).

"The U.K. this week received financial approval to go ahead and purchase the third U.K. STOVL OT&E aircraft that is planned within LRIP 4. Given the extremely tight financial climate in the U.K. government and the consequent impact across public spending, especially defence, this is a significant achievement," said Air Commodore Graham Farnell, the U.K.'s Joint Combat Aircraft Team head. "I believe it reflects well upon the JSF program and it is a measure of the confidence that the U.K. has in both the F-35 Lightning II and the program to deliver this capability."

This approval follows recent F-35 down-select or procurement commitments by Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy and the United States. The strength of the F-35 business case has enabled program suppliers to obtain the capital financing needed to recapitalize the industrial base and produce the F-35 in high quantities over the next 30 years.

"The United Kingdom's participation in F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation, and the associated commitment to purchase F-35s in early production lots, help ensure production stability as we move from the current assembly rate of one aircraft per month to our goal of one per day," said Matt Maxwell, Lockheed Martin director for F-35 Low Rate Initial Production.

The U.K. has invested $2 billion in the F-35's development - the largest contribution among the program's eight partner nations. More than 100 British companies are involved in the program, including BAE Systems, which produces the aircraft's aft fuselage and tails; Rolls-Royce, developer and manufacturer of the shaft-driven lift fan and other propulsion components for the F-35B STOVL variant; and Martin Baker, maker of the jet's ejection seats.

The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation stealth fighter. Three variants derived from a common design, developed together and using the same sustainment infrastructure worldwide, will replace aircraft in at least 13 services for nine nations initially, making the Lightning II the most cost-effective fighter program in history.

With acknowledgements to ASD News.

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*1       The SAAF did not need to acquire new jet fighter until 2012 at the earliest and even until 2015.

It only needed to initiate the replacement programme in 2007 at the earliest and more likely 2010.

Yet the SA DoD under Joe Modise and Chippy Shaik, back by Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela, initiated the Cheetah C replacement in 1997, ten to twelve years earlier than required.

Their purpose?

To create an avenue for transferring taxpayers' monies into their pockets and those of their political party.

The fourth-generation Gripen JAS-39 cost around USD50 million each (in 1998 values).

That can be equated to between USD65 million and USD80 million in 2010 values (2% to 4% escalation for 12 years).

The unit cost of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightening II is around USD85 million to USD90 million.

This is what we should have been looking at if we could afford it.

Otherwise, cutting cloak according to cloth, we could have looked at the new F-16E/F Fighting Falcon which has a unit cost of around USD55 million each in 2010 values (probably around USD35 million to USD40 million in 1998 values.

Not only is it more cost-effective, it is a fifth generation jet fighter.

I don't think too many Gripen JAS-39 pilots would want to tangle with a F-35 Lightening II.

But the Ayencee is laughing all the way to its piggy banks.