Posted on 09/28/2008 1:52:54 PM PDT by Mercia
BRITAIN is considering pulling out of a £9 billion project with America to produce the new Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, intended to fly off the Royal Navy’s forthcoming aircraft carriers.
The move is part of an increasingly desperate attempt to plug a £1.5 billion shortfall in the defence budget. The RAF’s 25 new Airbus A400 transport aircraft could also be at risk.
Studies have now been commissioned to analyse whether Eurofighters could be adapted to fly off the carriers.
If Britain abandons the JSF, it will be seen as a further snub to the Americans following Gordon Brown’s decision last week not to send 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
Only a week earlier, during a visit to London, Robert Gates, the American defence secretary, had said he understood Britain would be sending more troops to meet what commanders say is a 10,000 shortfall.
The possible ditching of the JSF results in part from spiralling costs that have seen the price of the planned 150 British aircraft rise from the original £9 billion estimate to £15 billion.
Britain has already paid out £2.5 billion in preliminary costs but next spring must start paying for actual aircraft. At that point it is committed to the entire project whatever the price.
The cost is only part of the problem. There is serious concern over the aircraft’s lack of firepower as it can only carry three 500lb bombs, compared with as many as eight on the Eurofighter.
There is also increasing frustration over the continued American refusal to share information on the technology involved.
President George Bush signed a deal with Tony Blair shortly before the former prime minister handed over to Gordon Brown, promising to share top secret technology with Britain.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Back out now, but prepare to pay full price if you want to buy them in the future, and with less capabilities. Don’t come crying when the eurofighter with no stealth is no match for whatever the russians come up with. JSF is the future and is going to dominate, feel free to pay full price for it.
im in favor of cutting the jsf project as well. US debt is too high already. The f-22 will make do for now
I wonder if this includes their design work on both the main and alternative engines? or just the purchase of the planes?
When we can spend 700 Billion dollars on the economy, we can afford to spend whatever it takes to do more than “make do” in defense. In case you haven’t noticed, Putin is ratcheting up his spending as are others. Not the time for defense cuts. Cut it elsewhere.
The Eurofighter is a nice, big SAM or AAM target.
Perhaps if they cut their welfare benefits and canned their untold thousands of liberal-feel-good policies, they’d have more money for what matters.
Please explain how you are going to replace the JSF with the F-22? Is that like replacing Chevy Luminas with Cadillacs?
Leave! Fund your social security and free health care systems so that muslims can have dozens of children at the tax payers expense. You will obviously need funding for your sharia court systems too! We will be able to defend ourselves on all fronts and just maybe we will consider liberating y’all once more but don’t count on that too soon.
That's absurd. You obviously have no idea just what aircraft the JSF is slated to replace in the United States' arsenal.
Um, no. The F-22 is an air superiority fighter with only vestigial ground strike capacity.
The JSF is oriented towards a surface strike and close air support role. It’s going to replace the F-16, F-18, AV-8 Harrier, the A-6 role (currently taken by the F/A-18 E/F, but not really), and some parts of the A-10’s role.
The Brits are only buying the stovl version. It will most likey be able to carry the small diameter bomb which weigh only 250lb. Plenty accurate and carries a heck of a ounch.
If thats your attitude we might be better off with the sharia courts.
Well to be fair to the Typhoon, it is an air superiority fighter. And in that role it excels, second only to the Raptor. Everything else, every single current generation fighter gets nuked by it every single time in dogfight training.
I have heard about the problems in technology transfer, and the lack of imfluence we have had in the design. Personally, I like the JSF, it is the best replacement for the Harrier on the market, but if cuts have to be made...
I would hope that we can find a way to buy these planes. The STOVL JSF would be an excellent strike aircraft; we have basically designed our new carriers around the F-35 being the replacement for the Harriers.
Sure, maybe the payload might be a little light, but its a premiere aircraft, and anyway, these will be fielded in wings of up to 40 on our new CVF’s. Plenty enough firepower.
We wont back out...this is just nonsense.
Eurofighter could indeed be “navalised” and used instead of JSF, but how long (and how much) would that take to do? This isnt the second world war when we “navalised” spitfires by sticking an arrestor hook on the tail. Modern jet fighters need a little more thought! Eurofighter is very different. Its launch and landing characteristics are different, its a different size and weight. If we used them rather than JSF we would have to redesign the carriers that would be operating them. That would push the project even further behind schedule. How is any of this going to save money?
We would only save money by continuing to use the tried and trusted Harrier, which is already obsolete. Even an updated improved version (which would cost) would be obsolete by the time development was completed. Anyway, if we are only going to use Harriers what would be the point of building large carriers? We might as well build three or four, smaller, cheaper, Invincible types.
The best way of saving money on this project is to stop doing untold useless, expensive, and time-wasting “reviews” and “project plans” and let the naval designers, aircraft designers, and admirals GET ON WITH THEIR JOBS!
Dumb “muslims taking over the UK” statement PING!
FR wouldnt be FR without it being said at least once a day, in spite of their being a higher proportion of muslims in the US.
I do too. However, I am starting to think this might be a little veiled payback for cancelling the tanker contract!
true, that has left a sour taste in the mouth over here. lets hope they see sense, and continue with the project.
Let Europe go with the EuroFighter or the Rafale. But we need a good F16 replacement and for that reason alone should not abandon the F35 project without making a couple of hundred at least.
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