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Ministers have been urged to scrap the multi-billion-pound Joint Strike Fighter project unless the US agrees to share its sensitive technological specifications. Sky Defence Correspondent Geoff Meade says the UK badly needs a replacement for the ageing Harrier - whatever it gets called. Although the Falklands veteran jump jet has proved valuable beyond its years, flying mission after mission in support of ground troops in Afghanistan, the fierce tempo of operations is taking a toll on the lifespan of ageing airframes. The problem is nobody knows yet if the new US-designed jet will be bought, or even what it will...

Nordic threat to JSF programme as Denmark and Norway consider Gripen, push cooperation approvals in Lockheed Martin F-35 programme into 2007 By Evan Sweetman Danish and Norwegian approvals to continue F-35 involvement to slip into 2007, while nations consider rival bids With the USA expecting the first international Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) partners to sign up for the Lockheed Martin F-35 production programme later this month, Denmark and Norway could be poised to delay their decisions on participation until next year. Denmark is expected to sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the production, sustainment and follow-on development (PSFD) phase,...

ANKARA - Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul has signalled Turkey's intention to buy 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in a multi-billion dollar procurement project, Turkish newspapers reported Tuesday. Gonul told Turkish reporters during an official visit to the United States that Turkey and eight other countries involved in the F-35 project would sign a memorandum of understanding by the end of November. "Nine countries, including us, will sign it," newspapers quoted Gonul as saying. The minister was speaking after talks with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Gordon England on topics ranging from combating terrorism to the Turkish military's...

Rapped in the Raptor: why Australia must have the best October 2, 2006 A former Top Gun is right to set his cross-hairs on key defence spending, writes Gerry Carmen. THE Peter Criss known to many Australians is the "catman" drummer of iconic band Kiss, whose theatrics include poking out tongues. But there's an Australian namesake who has just stepped out of the shadows and deserves even closer attention because he, too, is poking a mighty important metaphorical tongue — at the government. Retired RAAF air vice-marshal Peter Criss has put aside usual conventions to openly question the wisdom of...

'Not your father’s Oldsmobile’: F-15E+ Super Eagle unveiled By Guy Norris New-build aircraft would cover any significant service-entry delays for F-35 JSF Boeing has revealed details of the proposed F-15E+ “Super Eagle”, which is being offered as a “fourth-generation plus” fighter stopgap to the US Air Force in case of significant delays to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The new-build proposal, expected to be offered at a target price of $59 million (2006 US dollars) versus roughly $60 million-plus for the baseline F-35, would be available in 2012-13 assuming an authority to proceed decision in 2009. “That...

Mighty F-35 Lightning 2 Engine Roars To Life by Staff Writers Fort Worth TX (SPX) Sep 21, 2006 The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II completed its first series of engine runs on Monday afternoon, culminating in a full-afterburner test that unleashed 40,000 pounds of thrust - the most ever from a jet-fighter engine. The testing began on Friday, Sept. 15, when Chief Pilot Jon Beesley moved a cockpit switch to the "run" position and brought the Pratt and Whitney [NYSE: UTX] F135 engine to life.

Back-up ordered for next warplane Tom Allard National Security Editor August 2, 2006 THE Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, has ordered a new proposal for an alternative to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter amid concerns the $15 billion project cannot be delivered as promised. Dr Nelson also acknowledged the high risks in the Government's strategy for a new air combat capability that maintains Australia's long-held, and strategically vital, air dominance in the region. He was impressed by the fighter's potential and believed, if delivered on time and for the promised price, it would be "the correct aircraft for us". "Equally, this...

Turkey Requests New Bid from Eurofighter By Ibrahim TUrkmen, London Published: Friday, July 21, 2006 zaman.com The Turkish Air Force requested a new bid from Eurofighter as part of efforts to strengthen its forces by replacing its planes with a new generation of jet fighters. In response to the Turkish Ministry of Defense’s decision to increase the number of jet fighters it will purchase, Eurofighter’s producer, Aeronautica, began to prepare lower prices for the tender. The company will also issue a response to Turkey regarding its demands for partnership, technology transfers, and industrial participation. Authorities evaluate Turkey’s new demand about...

It's the fighter we have to have Hugh White July 19, 2006 Everything the critics say about the Joint Strike Fighter is probably true. It will cost more than we expected, it will not perform as well as we hoped, it will be delivered late and we will not be told as much as we'd like about how the aircraft's software really works. But it is still probably the best new combat aircraft for Australia. The fighter is being developed by the United States in collaboration with Britain, Canada and half a dozen European countries. All have put their money...

Three generations of Lightnings compared Today's christening of the Lockheed Martin F-35 as the Lightning II marks a perfect opportunity to compare three generations of fighters bearing that illustrious name - the first two with distinguished in-service records behind them. The table below clearly shows the advances that have taken place in technology and capability since World War II, but also illustrates how differing threats breed their own solutions. In particular, the UK's Lightning - designed as the purest of pure air defence fighters to tackle the Soviet threat during the Cold War - stands out for its afterburner-assisted maximum...

7/7/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force chief of staff announced Lightning II as the F-35 name during a Joint Strike Fighter Inauguration Ceremony today at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. at Fort Worth, Texas. Gen. T. Michael Moseley made the final decision after an extensive nomination and review process, coordinated with the other services and partner nations. In naming the F-35, General Moseley said, "Today, the enemies of peace and freedom have been put on notice. They have feared this day because the F-35 provides the coalition warfighter the perfect blend of speed, precision and stealth. "In my...

Lightning II, Lockheed Martin's new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, made its debut today in a rock-show/unveiling ceremony that would have made Madonna jealous. At an estimated cost of $276 billion to the U.S. government, the F-35 will be the most expensive weapons program ever. "The F-35 Lightning II will carry on the legacy of two of the greatest and most capable fighter aircraft of all time," said Ralph D. Heath, president of Lockheed, in a statement Friday. "Just as the P-38 and the British Lightning were at the top fo their class during their day, the F-35 will redefine multi-role...

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter being developed by the United States and eight other countries is to be named the "Lightning II," in homage to two earlier fighters. The supersonic F-35 is being built by a team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) at a cost of $276 billion. It is the costliest U.S. weapons program ever. "The F-35 Lightning II will be the centerpiece of airpower in the 21st century for America and our allies," Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said in a statement on Friday. Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed is...

By Graham Warwick in Fort WorthAdditional reporting by Guy NorrisIn late October, five years after Lockheed Martin won the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) competition, the first F-35 is expected to take to the skies over Fort Worth, Texas. By then, the eight international partners in the US-led development programme should be well along their national political paths to a decision on whether to sign up for the next phase, launching a global effort to build and support more than 3,000 aircraft.As that first F-35, aircraft AA-1, sits in a hangar alongside the ramp at Fort Worth being prepared for...

THE Defence Department retains full confidence in the $16billion Joint Strike Fighter, saying it is still the best choice for the RAAF's future air combat capability. The Weekend Australian reported on Saturday that the JSF was beset with software problems and a cockpit display so bad it had to be almost completely redesigned. The issues were found in risk assessments by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation last year that identified a number of development problems that threatened to undermine the performance of the next-generation fighter. Defence said in a statement yesterday that "contrary to media reporting that the DSTO...

RAAF's new fighters 'already obsolete' June 16, 2006 - 5:29PM AdvertisementThe RAAF's next generation of air fighters could be as outclassed as propeller-driven aircraft in the days of jets, the Parliamentary Library has found. In a recent report into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the library said it was likely the project would become more expensive and that other aircraft would do the same job more cheaply. And it warned that developments in unmanned aircraft could make the JSF effectively obsolete. Australia is one of eight countries to have signed up with the United States to develop and buy...

Gripen – The Nordic Solution At two separate press conferences – one in Oslo on 15 May and one in Copenhagen on 16 May, Gripen International presented details of its formal offers to Norway and Denmark for a new version of the Gripen fighter to replace these countries ageing F-16 aircraft. An enhanced standard of the Gripen new generation fighter, dubbed Gripen N for Norway and Gripen DK for Denmark respectively, with longer range and greater payload, have been offered in response to these countries’ respective requirements to deliver up to 48 aircraft from 2016. Industrial co-operation and development on...

US President George W Bush's new man in Oslo applied some not-so-subtle pressure on Norway to buy US Joint Strike Fighter jets this week, saying a failure to do so would weaken military operations between the countries. Not true, responded a top Norwegian military official. "No matter what type of fighter jet we decide to buy, it will be NATO-compatible," Espen Barth Eide of the Defense Ministry told newspaper Aftenposten on Tuesday. Barth Eide was responding to remarks made by US Ambassador Benson K Whitney during a speech Monday before The Norwegian Atlantic Committee, an independent organization that aims to...

Israel and the United States are battling over the sale of the next generation of warplanes, the F-35, with Israel considering canceling plans to purchase some 100 aircraft, IDF officials said Monday. Israel is insisting it be allowed to upgrade the planes with its own technological warfare systems, as it has done with the F-15, the F-16 and the F-16-I, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the sides are trying to resolve the issue. The United States has rejected Israel's request, at least partly because the Israeli systems are considered the best in the world and provide...

May 14, 2006: News that the US Navy's new destroyer/cruiser replacement – DD(X) – has been axed comes as a major blow to the Navy and to the US military in general. DD(X) has been described as the Navy's "must have ship," to replace both the Burke-class guided missile destroyers and the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers that have been the Navy's mainstays for the past 25 years. DD(X) is not the only weapons program in trouble. Recently, the United States Government Accountability Office released a report that slammed the DOD's plan to build and field the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35)...