Seems the other F-35 thread is closed? Well, here is another thread on the subject….
Update from Australia.
THE RAAF’s plan to acquire up to 100 F-35 joint strike fighters faces a further delay until next year as budget pressures continue to bear down on the Rudd government.
In a long-awaited decision, cabinet’s national security committee was due to sign off on the $16 billion purchase before Christmas.
But defence budget pressures and Defence Department concerns about Australia becoming the lead foreign customer for the initial production models of the F-35 fighter are expected to force a postponement until the new year of a government green light for the acquisition.
The expected delay in the NSC’s consideration of the joint strike fighter purchase comes as an annual review undertaken by Pentagon analysts found the F-35 program could cost an additional $16bn and face a two-year slippage unless remedial action was taken.
The F-35 joint strike fighter is a “fifth-generation fighter” earmarked to replace the RAAF’s F-111 bombers and the FA 18 fighters from later next decade in what will be Australia’s largest defence buy.
News from Denmark:
Di – which is the Danish confederation of industries – has written to the defence and industry ministers, demanding contractual guarantees of counter purchases if Denmark is to buy its next generation of fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin.
Denmark is currently in the final stages of deciding who will win its DKK 20 – 30 billion order for fighters to replace its ageing F-16s; Lockheed Martin, Boeing or Saab – with Lockheed Martin currently favourite.
In its letter to the Defence Minister Søren Gade and Economy and Trade Minister Lene Espersen, DI is demanding that Lockheed Martin contractually agrees to ensure Danish industrial participation at a level that at least corresponds to the total purchase price.
Counter purchases
Under Danish law, agreements on arms purchases of this size must include counter purchases. Lockheed Martin and the U.S. administration, however, entered into a special agreement with Denmark which allowed the country to take part in the development of the F-35. But Danish industry, which had expected more jobs from the agreement, says the deal has not lived up to expectations.”Developments have not lived up to our expectations. Norway has already chosen the F-35 and wants the agreement with Lockheed Martin changed so that counter purchases for the full purchase sum are guaranteed. We feel Denmark should do the same,” says Arms Industry Chairman Jan Falck Schmidt of Falck Schmidt Defence Systems.
Lockheed says no
Lockheed Martin’s CEO, however, rejects the demands saying that cooperation with Denmark will succeed if the Danes buy the F-35.“If you look at the overall lifetime of the program, we have identified order potential for Denmark of some DKK 25 billion,” Latham says.
Asked why Lockheed Martin is unable to provide a written guarantee, Latham says he is not permitted to do so.
http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article833968.ece
LM may reduce number of test flights:
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November 13, 2009 at 2:59 pm