Lockheed Martin Corp. has been awarded the contract for the Joint Strike Fighter program, the Pentagon said.
The possibly $200 billion contract was announced by Jim Roche, secretary of the Air Force, on Oct. 26.
“On the basis of strengths, weaknesses and degrees of risk of the program, it is our conclusion, joined in by our colleagues from the United Kingdom, that the Lockheed Martin team is the winner of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program on a best-value basis,” Roche said.
The Lockheed Martin X-35 beat out its closest competitor, the Boeing X-32. The Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, the British navy and air force will use the new plane, designated the F-35, which is set to replace older aircraft and augment other fighters.
There are currently plans to develop four variants of the aircraft.
The cost of the planes depends on the variant, Roche said.
“If the planes happened to be available today, we were buying them today, and we were to buy the CTOL [conventional take off and landing], the Air Force version, which, of course, was the most interest to me, then the number would be – a fly-away cost – in other words, if we go buy the airplane, would be roughly $40 million a copy,” Roche explained.
The other variants would cost less than $50 million per unit, Roche added.
“For the U.S. Navy, the JSF will be used in a ‘first day’ of war, as a survivable strike fighter aircraft to complement F/A-18E/F. The U.S. Air Force will employ it as a multi-role aircraft, primary-air-to-ground, which will replace the F-16 and A-10 and to complement the F-22,” the Pentagon said in a released statement. “The Marine Corps will use the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the aircraft to replace the AV-8B and F/A-18A/C/D. The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force multi-role aircraft will replace the Sea Harrier and GR7.”
The contract is specifically for the development of the JSF, and not for production.
“The phase that we’re entering in is called System Development and Demonstration phase. It is not a decision to enter production at this point in time, it is a decision to enter the next phase,” said Pete Aldridge, under secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technologies and Logistics. “The contract that’s been awarded to Lockheed Martin I think is about $19 billion for this, and there’s another contract to Pratt and Whitney, which will be the engine producer at this phase in the program, of about four billion.”
The JSF program has been under development since late 1993. Once completed, the JSF will be an important, and long lasting, part of the U.S. arsenal, the Aldridge explained.
“The Joint Strike Fighter is a family of highly common, lethal, survivable, supportable, and affordable next-generation multi-role strike fighter aircraft,” Aldridge told reporters at a special briefing. “The Joint Strike Fighter will be the world’s premier strike platform beginning in 2008, and lasting through 2040.”
Lord Willy Bach, under secretary of Defense and minister for Defense for the United Kingdom, sees the JSF as a further cementing of U.S. relations with Great Britain.
“Today, ladies and gentlemen, United Kingdom and United States forces stand shoulder to shoulder at the forefront of the worldwide coalition battle against terrorism. I am, therefore, delighted to be here to demonstrate our partnership,” Lord Bach said. “The United Kingdom government, as a full partner in the collaborative Joint Strike Fighter program, is very happy to endorse the decision to move the JSF program forward.”
On the Net: The Pentagon: http://www.defenselink.mil; The JSF Program: http://www.jast.mil; The U.K. Ministry of Defense: http://www.mod.uk; The Lockheed Martin Corp.: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/
