Sign up for fighter or pay more later, says US
company
By Tom Allard
March 17, 2006
AUSTRALIA has been delivered an ultimatum to sign up for the
troubled Joint Strike Fighter project or face financial penalties,
and an influential US body has warned of huge cost blow-outs and of
the aircraft's untested capability.
The manufacturer of the
fighter, Lockheed Martin, made the demand as it confirmed that some
countries - possibly including Australia - would get models
inferior to those operated by US and British forces.
Yet, according to the US Congress's audit and investigative arm,
the much vaunted stealth characteristics of the fighter remain
worryingly unproven, even for the premier US variant.
Jane's defence newsletter quoted Lockheed Martin's senior executive
on the project, Tom Burbage, as saying the US wanted a commitment
to the fighter by the end of the year in a memorandum of
understanding that would last through "the life of the
program".
If a customer then declined to go ahead "there will be a penalty
associated with the disruption of production planning", Mr Burbage
said.
Australia had wanted to defer its final decision on the fighter -
the world's costliest ever military project and one critical to
Australia's future air combat dominance in the region - until 2008.
Australia has budgeted to buy as many as 100 of the jets for $15
billion.
The Minister for Defence, Brendan Nelson, did not comment directly
on the threat of financial penalties in the proposed memorandum of
understanding but said Australia would not sign an unsatisfactory
deal. "We are committed to negotiations but we would not sign up to
an agreement unless we are satisfied we have all the information we
need and it was in Australia's interests," his spokesman
said.
The fighter program has received heavy criticism this week amid
threats from partner countries, including Australia, that they will
pull out if they do not get access to technology. The US Congress's
Government Accountability Office said there had been inadequate
testing on the fighter for it to be considered a mature design and
that production should be slowed.
"Significant development risk remains, and it is likely that
current cost and schedule goals will not be met," it said in a
report.
"To improve the chances for a successful outcome, we are
recommending the JSF program delay production and investments in
production capability."
The office has strong influence over US legislators, but the
Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have insisted that the aircraft's
design is sound. If the Pentagon slows funding and production it
will not only increase the price of the aircraft but leave a bigger
gap between the scheduled retirement of Australia's fleet of F-111
and FA-18 jets in 2010-12 and the delivery of their
replacements.
The Herald also revealed this week that the fighter's ability to
elude powerful radar had been downgraded.
The Jane's newsletter said Mr Burbage had told it that different
countries would get different versions of the fighter.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sign-up-for-fighter-or-pay-more-later-says-us-company/2006/03/16/1142098602856.html
