Bad news for the F-35

I am surprised with all the F-35 naysayers we have hear that none have brought this up…

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a5fb4f326-cfc0-4910-82eb-30cf7134155c&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

by our old friend Bill Sweetman

A plan for a five-year, eight-nation, 368-aircraft order for Joint Strike Fighters is dead, according to a senior Australian government official. According to Australian Financial Review (subscription site) Defence Management Organization chief executive Stephen Gumley has told Australia’s parliament that a lack of interest among partners, plus US procurement rules, has killed the plan. (To “cruel” something, in Australia, means approximately the same as “kibosh” – its implication is terminal.)

Gumley also told AFR that, as a result, Australia may defer its main JSF orders by two years, to 2015 (with delivery in 2017) to avoid buying high-priced low-rate initial production aircraft.

Although Lockheed Martin says that the team is still working on the consortium buy…

Further reading can be done via link.

I believe this is the plan that was announced publicly in June 2008 where the flyaway cost of the 368 aircraft was to be $58.7 million (FY2008 USD) each. Unless/until futher news I shall no longer quote the $58.7 million (FY2008 USD). 🙁