Britain in battle with US over fighter plane

phoenix80

Banned
Britain in battle with US over fighter plane

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-1902806,00.html


BRITAIN is threatening to pull out of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), a co-operative combat-aircraft project with America that is one of the largest military programmes in the world. The move, confirmed to The Sunday Times by senior defence officials, could have serious repercussions for BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, Britain’s two main contributors to the project.
BAE is part of the consortium developing the plane, and had expected revenues of about $24 billion (£13.8 billion) in development and production contracts.
Rolls-Royce is developing the lift fan for the vertical take-off version, and is working with its American rival, General Electric, on an alternative engine for the aircraft.
The JSF is a versatile plane aimed at replacing several types of aircraft currently in use, and could achieve total sales of more than $300 billion, according to some forecasts.
While the development is being driven by the Pentagon, it is being built by a multinational team in which Britain is the sole “Tier One” partner. The government has already provided $2 billion in development funding, and had been slated to buy 150 aircraft for the RAF and Royal Navy.
But Britain is now threatening to withdraw after rows over the Pentagon’s reluctance to agree to the transfer of technology, and because of likely increases in the price of each plane.
According to senior Ministry of Defence officials, instructions have been given for alternative strategies for projects affected by American technology- transfer problems, the most important of which is the JSF.
Dropping the JSF would stun the defence industry, but a senior official told The Sunday Times it was time to “think the unthinkable”. “I know how the Americans negotiate,” said the official. “They will not do a deal unless they know the other side has a serious alternative. It’s like a high-stakes poker game . . . it’s essential to have a Plan B because it’s very important not to travel in hope.”
The JSF was to have equipped the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers. The “Plan B” being worked on is a version of the Eurofighter Typhoon adapted for the navy. The Typhoon recently entered service with the RAF after long delays and cost overruns.
Defence-industry sources say negotiations on the “Tranche 3” Eurofighter contract, under which Britain will take the last 88 of the 232 orders, now encompassed the issues needed to be addressed to make the aircraft fly from a carrier.
Sources close to the Eurofighter programme say there are no major obstacles to the operation, although some elements of the carrier design would have to be changed.
BAE Systems is likely to stand behind the government’s tough line on the negotiations with the Americans. The company is eager to secure more defence technology to allow it to play a full role in the JSF programme if it continues. But Rolls-Royce could be an early casualty. Defence-industry sources in Washington said last week that the US budget row could threaten funding for the F-136 engine that it is developing in conjunction with General Electric.
 
i dont understand.

We devlopit, finance most of it and produce it....dont we kinda have the right to say no we dont want you to have this? Cause we know if we give it to the brits the chinese will have it no-time.
 
I guess there are measures to make sure that no 3rd party wont get what others receive.

Btw, a buyer has a right to say what he wants. Dont you have the same right when you go shopping?
 
Rabs said:
i dont understand.

We devlopit, finance most of it and produce it....dont we kinda have the right to say no we dont want you to have this? Cause we know if we give it to the brits the chinese will have it no-time.

The Brits have coughed up $2 Billion for the JSF, that ain't peanuts, espically when you consider that their economy and military spending is much smaller compared to ours. $2 Billion is a very large investment for Britain. I dont think you can co-participate on a project if your partner isnt willing to share the toys. I also see no evidence to your claim that they would sell technology to the Chinese. If thats what worrying you, that you better reconsider Isreal (apogogies to my Isreali friends out there). They are on the JSF project as well, they have already had multiple dealings with the Chinese. For example the J-10 Fighter is a direct copy of the Isreali Lavi aircraft, a joint US-Isreal project financed by the USA. Another example do you remember when the PE3-Orion bumped a J-8 fighter? Photos taken from that very same EPE-3
showed that the F-8 was carrying Python-3 AAM. The Python-3 is the made-in-Isreal copy of our Sidewinder AAM.
 
Last edited:
Rabs said:
i dont understand.

We devlopit, finance most of it and produce it....dont we kinda have the right to say no we dont want you to have this? Cause we know if we give it to the brits the chinese will have it no-time.
:lol: 16 years old and a political pundit already:pray:
 
Back
Top