“Unfortunately this is just when the Royal Navy will need jets: although it has been delayed, the first of the two new carriers will be delivered in 2014 under current plans. It is widely acknowledged that the MoD, now in the middle of a massive budget-cutting exercise, cannot afford enough jets for the two ships at early-production prices: perhaps not any point in the manufacturing run, the F-35B being one of the most complicated aircraft in the world.

This has led to speculation that the new British carriers may be fitted with catapults so as to allow the purchase of cheaper aircraft. Such speculation has been lent some weight by reports of RN pilots training in catapult launch and arrested recovery landings, and of ongoing electromagnetic catapult work by British firms.

Last week’s SRVL announcement would seem to suggest that the original jumpjet plan remains on track: but in fact the length of time it typically takes to organise such a deal and get it approved by the US government is such that it may reflect the thinking of some months ago“

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/11/f35b_srvl_deal/

No way will Italy now buy “nearly one hundred” F35 B, nor anything close to it. Officially Spain has said nothing about buying any varient of F35.

Every single leak coming out of the UK SDSR is that UK is now much more likely to buy 50-80 CATOBAR F35 C than anything else. With far fewer aircraft the much more capable (range, payload, survivability) yet slightly less expensive, F35 C makes much more sense for UK, especially since STOVL F35 B offers, at best, very dubious austere basing abilities, even if, after Afghanistan, UK was going to be too keen on foreign overseas bases, which is highly unlikely to say the very least. .

I strongly suspect F35 B is, now, a dead duck so far as UK is concerned.

So you would rather believe the Evening Standard than the US DoD website official news release?
http://www.defense.gov/contracts/contract.aspx?contractid=4382

Look i’d love F35C too ahead of the B version, but you need to look at facts when they hit you in the face er, Ironduke 😉

When the British PM has just made the choice yep I do. You need to A) read about the ‘Defence Review’ and B) recall UK is not, so far, committed to any more than 3 (three) much inferior, yet more expensive, STOVL F35 B.

You know the Pro STOVL F35 B people from UK remind me as nothing so much as the Hitler is not a threat to world peace people prior to WWII, in their almost totally one eyed view of the real world.

Not at all sure UK paid that money. But wait and see. UK STOVL is dead and good too

David Cameron ‘rules out slash and burn defence cuts’
Robert Fox and Martin Bentham
08.10.10

David Cameron has intervened to prevent “slash and burn” cuts to the Armed Forces after holding a private meeting with defence chiefs

“…Plans to use vertical take-off aircraft on the carriers have been abandoned, however, and cheaper jets that take off and land by using a catapult and wire will be used instead. The second carrier might also be converted from its conventional use to operate as a “floating platform” for commandos.

The Navy is also expected to be allowed to buy new frigates for 2020, and the Royal Marines will be retained instead of being merged with the Army’s Paratroop Regiment, as some reports had suggested. However, the helicopter budget is expected to be reduced by as much as £1 billion. Ministers are expected to insist that this will not affect operations in Afghanistan.

…The plan now is to have a rolling review looking at all aspects of defence management, the armed forces, and equipment procurement, over the next two years or so. There will have to be some cuts, though nothing on the scale previously suggested. One of the target areas is the helicopter budget. The number of machines will be reduced. The Trident replacement will be delayed by a year or two, but will go ahead in one form or another — as will the aircraft carrier programme, though with a different variant of the Lockheed Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter….”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23886028-david-cameron-rules-out-slash-and-burn-defence-cuts.do

F-35 grounded to fix new software problem
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/10/01/348074/f-35-grounded-to-fix-new-software-problem.html

“There are videos on youtube of F-35B’s doing vertical takeoffs – not one of them shows a smoking crater blasted into the ground left behind afterwards.”

No doubt they were film of a STOVL F35B landing on something like a 100 x 100 foot VL pad made of heat-resistant, continuously reinforced concrete.

Most people expect F35C to be about $25 million each less than STOVL F35B.
F35C will be considerably cheaper to operate than STOVL F35B.
F35C has a much longer range and the ability to carry a much heavier payload than STOVL F35B (saving on tankering, etc).

So called ‘flyaway’ costs on STOVL F35B are largely meaningless the aircraft is not operational at that ‘cost’. Only unit costs give some idea of real -upfront- costs. And the USN predicts that STOVL F35B unit costs will start out at $157 million and will never fall below $111 million. F35B will be significantly more expensive to buy than, more capable, F35C, and will probably, even allowing for the costs of EMALS, have higher through life maintenance costs, etc.

You are certainly only looking at one QE possibly going CATOBAR to start with. EMALS should most certainly be available by the time it is needed for, the second Carrier, PoW. Cost of one set of two EMALS Catapults, plus arrester gear, is about $385 million (that is, at best, three-four STOVL F35B).

http://www.defense.gov/co…act.aspx?contractid=4061

http://www.defense.gov/co…act.aspx?contractid=4158

And, just to repeat on supposed ‘austere’ land basing of STOVL F35B: USN construction guidance still calls for a 100 x 100 foot VL pad made of heat-resistant, continuously reinforced concrete, ie, nothing like a Harrier, in that respect, at all.