News just broke today of a contract award of £13m for the development of modifications to support the ShipBorne Rolling Vertical Landing (SRVL) capability in the F-35B:
The award of this contract at this time would heavily suggest that the UK is proceeding not just with the JSF programme, but with the F-35B variant, rather than (as some rumours have suggested) the F-35C/EMALS combination.
Plenty of other rumours in the press today that both carriers will be built, although Prince of Wales will be missing some equipment (hopefully left in a state where it can be retrofitted when funds allow) and left in mothballs.
So I expect the upshot of all this will be a commitment to purchase 50 or so F-35Bs, perhaps with an option to purchase a further 25 or so if funds allow in the future.
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October 8, 2010 at 4:27 pm