Sign up for Joint Strike Fighter or Pay More Later, Says US company

Posted on: Mar. 16th, 2006 || Source: smh.com.au | E-mail Article | Print Article

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.

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