Okland Construction, Salt Lake City, Utah, was awarded a $15,513,636 firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract to design and build a facility to accept the second Joint Strike Fighter.

Work will be performed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 10, 2016.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/154129/true-costs-of-adapting-f_35-bases-emerge.html

Sounds mysterious…

And bye bye Gripen, see you most probably in a few years!

It’s a blow for SAAB but it simplifies Gripen E development and production if it is shared between 2 countries rather than 3 (I assume the Brazilian deal will go through).

It will prove to have been a blow for Switzerland as well if a Gripen deal is revived in the next few years but it is too late for the Swiss aviation sector then to benefit to any great degree.

Swiss vote prospects:

Saab AB risks losing a $3.5 billion order for its Gripen fighter seen as crucial to the program’s future as Swiss voters review the purchase in a referendum.

Some 51 percent of voters are ready to block the 22-plane contract, which Switzerland awarded 2 1/2 years ago, with 44 percent in favor, the latest survey by researcher gfs.bern suggests ahead of the May 18 vote. Support for Gripen gained slightly compared with a poll by the same researcher April 11.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/153919/polls-say-swiss-may-vote-against-gripen-buy.html

Going to be close…

Under an agreement signed by the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the countries’ air forces will launch joint air patrols in January. The initiative has been debated for several years, but was recently accelerated by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and related security concerns of the two governments, reported daily Gazeta Wyborcza.

…

To increase its air combat capability, the Slovak Air Force is also planning to replace its MiG-29 fighter jets with new aircraft. According to senior defense officials, the most likely scenario is the acquisition of Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraft from Sweden. Given that the jet fighters are also operated by the Czech Air Force, this is designed to enhance the interoperability of the two military branches.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140429/DEFREG01/304290028/Czech-Slovak-Militaries-Launch-Joint-Air-Patrols-Eye-Arms-Procurement

Another possible fast deal – joint air patrols starting in 2015?

Yep SAAB are not even remotely interested in making any money whatsoever ?

Of course they are interested in making money. You do not, however, necessarily have to squeeze the customer hard to make a good profit if you are better run than the opposition.

From an industry perspective I really do not see P&W being the sole produced of JSF engines for ever..At some time GE will be brought back in, probably towards the second half of the production life..

I am not in a position to comment on that possibility but have to ask how GE could come back to the party in. say, 10 years. Would the idea be for GE to develop a later technology engine for the F-35 which also perhaps allow older PW-engined aircraft to be re-engined?

As I said earlier, why should a second engine be funded at the expense of F-35 airframes? Airframe numbers are being cut due to a lack in funding, which is driving up the overall cost and entering into a dangerous circle, yet apparently they can afford billions to buy a second engine that offers nothing more than a different engine of the same general specifications as it’s competitor?

It is likely to cost $1.6B or MORE (CRS states it could cost more than $2b) to finish the F136 and there are no guarantees it will even be bought, let alone used in significant enough numbers by the Country that is actually paying to develop it – the USA.

I don’t get it at all I’m afraid.

It is said that having 2 engine suppliers for F-16 resulted in overall savings of $billions.