By Marina Malenic
The Pentagon is providing sufficient funding for both the F-22 and the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in the upcoming budget cycle, with no trade-off being made between the two, according to the F-35 Air Force program executive officer.
“The [Defense] department right now has made allowances and has funded ways to continue production of the F-22 while continuing the ramp-up of the F-35,” Air Force Maj. Gen. C.R. Davis said during a Sept. 19 teleconference with reporters. “So I personally do not see a battle that needs to be had right now to advance one airplane over the other.”
The comments were prompted by recent press reports critical of the JSF’s performance. One article in the Australian press claimed that F-35s were “clubbed like baby seals” in a war game with Russian fighters.
Such criticism, which Davis said has “no basis in fact,” comes at a delicate time. Several U.S. allies, including Australia, are in the process of solidifying their financial commitment to the program.
While the United States is the primary customer and financier of the F-35 effort, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway and Denmark have contributed $4.4 billion toward development costs. Those costs are estimated at more than $40 billion. The purchase of an estimated 2,400 aircraft for all the participants has been pegged at another $200 billion.
Some have speculated that the negative commentary on JSF may originate with domestic proponents of the F-22 Raptor. But Davis said there is no contest between the two jets in the coming years’ budgets.
“The Air Force has figured out and has resourced appropriately a way to be able to get to the numbers they want on both airplanes,” he said. He would not elaborate on budget outlays for each of the jets.
Davis did, however, raise concerns that there are “individuals with agendas” propagating the stories about poor JSF performance.
“When the data that comes out is just wrong…there’s got to be some reason behind it,” he said.
“There’s money involved, there are companies involved,” he added. “There are beliefs in how [tactical air] should be built up and torn down involved, so I can only guess that it’s related to that.”
Prime JSF contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] recently announced that it is developing a proposal for the third F-35 low-rate production (LRIP) contract, which the company expects to submit to the Defense Department next month. The defense appropriations committees in Congress are still working to finalize a number for the U.S. buy (Defense Daily, Sept. 15).