Norway Faces Apr. 1 JSF Commitment Deadline

Posted on: Feb. 27th, 2006 || Source: aviationweek.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Unhappy about the extent of work its industry is garnering on the Joint Strike Fighter, Norway is considering pulling out of the Lockheed Martin-led program in the next few weeks.

With an Apr. 1 deadline looming over the country's status in JSF, Norwegian officials last week went to the U.S. to visit with Pentagon and State Dept. representatives, as well as Lockheed Martin officials, to voice their concerns and urge improvements in the situation. At issue is not just the amount of work, but also the quality of the work packages, Norwegian Defense State Secretary Espen Barth Eide tells Aviation Week & Space Technology. Norway wants its companies to work on high-technology elements, such as system integration or advanced materials, and not be relegated to building commodity items to specifications.

For the Norwegian government that took power last October, this is the first major review of JSF. The decision to join the program has been controversial in Norway, because critics have charged that the previous conservative government essentially committed the country to buying the fighter without real competition.

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