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Britain
Britain signs F-35 fighter jet deal with Pentagon
2006-12-13
Britain signed an agreement Tuesday committing to the next development and production phase of the new Joint Strike Fighter, resolving a dispute between the Pentagon and its biggest overseas partner over sharing technology for the advanced fighter jet.
So, we're spilling the secret beans and the *sniff* fears are allayed.
Or it was just all posturing to please the rubes back home ...
Cynic, lol.
Lord Peter Drayson, Britain's arms procurement minister, said the country has not fully committed to buying the jets, though preliminary plans call for it to buy 150 of the fighter jets, known as the F-35. After 10 years of development, lead contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. of Bethesda, Maryland, is moving to the early stages of production for what could eventually be thousands of fighter jets for the American military and eight countries.
Posted by:Fred

#8  Sorry, to be more clear, Boeing will end up building the plane as well. So not only LM, but Boeing will have access to the technology as the integrator.

LM get's most of the pie, but Boeing's there to reduce single supply risk.
Posted by: bombay   2006-12-13 20:38  

#7  The shaft-drive is L-M patented but otherwise the kit is indeed supposedly patterned after the Yakovlev Yak-141. However, this never went into production, as I am sure you know. There is a reason Rolls-Royce was contracted to develop the 3BSN nozzle for the F-35 and BAe is handling the flight-control software... as mentioned in my previous comment.
Posted by: Excalibur   2006-12-13 15:22  

#6  Excal,

No worries on that end, that certain aerospace company is going to build 30 - 35% of the planes, they already know.
Posted by: bombay   2006-12-13 14:54  

#5  I would have thought they'ld just stick with the Eurofighter?
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2006-12-13 13:51  

#4  The lift fan is L-M invention and the swivel nozzle (I think) is Yakovlev tech licensed by L-M and built by BAE.
Posted by: ed   2006-12-13 13:06  

#3  And I am certain an American aerospace firm could eventually figure out BAe's VTOL system (though it has been tried before). F-35 technology is not all flowing west to east across the Atlantic.
Posted by: Excalibur   2006-12-13 12:42  

#2  ...I suspect the UK got a few cruumbs to satisfy everybody. The UK is technically capable of doing everything we've done on the F-35, if they would just spend the money. They were already committed to the new CV, which could operate F-18s(maybe)or the French Rafale (definitely). Political considerations would rule out Rafale and the F-18 isn't a sure thing, especially in the new E model - so they were pretty much stuck with the -35.

Mike

Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2006-12-13 09:10  

#1  Negotiating tactics for cheaper per unit price. Typical.

BTW, LM is not moving to early stages of production ... this already happened. They are gearing for LRIP now.
Posted by: bombay   2006-12-13 08:15  

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