(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - December 16, 2008: Internationa
l sales of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet are developing as scheduled despite the global economic slowdown and despite unfounded criticism of its performance, the Pentagon official managing the program said on Monday.
"The deals are coming on the schedule the deals were supposed to come on," Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Davis told the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington.
The F-35 is a family of radar-evading, multi-role fighters designed to replace a wide range of aircraft for the United States and the international partners in the project. It is the costliest U.S. arms acquisition program ever at a projected $299 billion through 2027.
Development was co-financed by Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway.
Britain is down for three F-35s in the next production batch, Davis said, adding: "I have no doubt about the UK."
The Netherlands has an option for one F-35 in the coming batch, known as Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 3, though the parliament is expected to take "some time" to review the government's decision, he said.
Davis said he expected Israel to place an order for 25 F-35s by the end of 2009, with Singapore likely to follow with an order roughly a year later.
He said he expected Japan to register its formal interest in the F-35 with a "letter of request" for pricing and availability information by the end of next year.
Davis stoutly defended the design of the F-35 in the face of critics in Australia and elsewhere who say it was a compromise hybrid, undercutting its performance.
"They have a very shallow view of what an airplane is," he said. "Their measure of an airplane's success is what its air show profile looks like, which to me should be its last measure."
F-35 competitors include Saab's Gripen, the Dassault Rafale, MiG-35 and Sukhoi Su-35, and the Eurofighter Typhoon, made by a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish companies.
The first F-35, a conventional take-off and landing version, began its flight testing program in December, 2006.
After the June 11 maiden flight of a short take-off, vertical landing model, the Pentagon's top arms buyer, John Young, said the program was more mature than comparable ones at this stage of development "in terms of quality, software, testing and manufacturing readiness."
Lockheed's chief F-35 subcontractors are Northrop Grumman Corp and BAE Systems Plc. Two rival, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development. One is built by United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney unit; the other by a team of General Electric Co and Rolls-Royce Group Plc.
The United States currently plans to buy a total of 2,443 F-35 models -- including 1,763 for the U.S. Air Force and 680 for the Marine Corps and Navy.
l sales of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet are developing as scheduled despite the global economic slowdown and despite unfounded criticism of its performance, the Pentagon official managing the program said on Monday.
"The deals are coming on the schedule the deals were supposed to come on," Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Davis told the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington.
The F-35 is a family of radar-evading, multi-role fighters designed to replace a wide range of aircraft for the United States and the international partners in the project. It is the costliest U.S. arms acquisition program ever at a projected $299 billion through 2027.
Development was co-financed by Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway.
Britain is down for three F-35s in the next production batch, Davis said, adding: "I have no doubt about the UK."
The Netherlands has an option for one F-35 in the coming batch, known as Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 3, though the parliament is expected to take "some time" to review the government's decision, he said.
Davis said he expected Israel to place an order for 25 F-35s by the end of 2009, with Singapore likely to follow with an order roughly a year later.
He said he expected Japan to register its formal interest in the F-35 with a "letter of request" for pricing and availability information by the end of next year.
Davis stoutly defended the design of the F-35 in the face of critics in Australia and elsewhere who say it was a compromise hybrid, undercutting its performance.
"They have a very shallow view of what an airplane is," he said. "Their measure of an airplane's success is what its air show profile looks like, which to me should be its last measure."
F-35 competitors include Saab's Gripen, the Dassault Rafale, MiG-35 and Sukhoi Su-35, and the Eurofighter Typhoon, made by a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish companies.
The first F-35, a conventional take-off and landing version, began its flight testing program in December, 2006.
After the June 11 maiden flight of a short take-off, vertical landing model, the Pentagon's top arms buyer, John Young, said the program was more mature than comparable ones at this stage of development "in terms of quality, software, testing and manufacturing readiness."
Lockheed's chief F-35 subcontractors are Northrop Grumman Corp and BAE Systems Plc. Two rival, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development. One is built by United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney unit; the other by a team of General Electric Co and Rolls-Royce Group Plc.
The United States currently plans to buy a total of 2,443 F-35 models -- including 1,763 for the U.S. Air Force and 680 for the Marine Corps and Navy.Hundreds of others may be sold overseas to replace a range of fighters, including Lockheed F-16s and Boeing Co F-18s.
Davis has said the F-35 is on course to become a $1 trillion venture worldwide through 2065, when the last fighter scheduled to be built would reach the end of its projected service life.
Britain and the Netherlands are the only F-35 co-development partners scheduled to participate in an initial operational test and evaluation program. Italy decided against taking part. Data from this program is to be shared with all partners.
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