JSF Fracas Risks Bad Blood Between Allies

Published: Mar 20, 2006
Source: www.aviationweek.com



Anglo-American feuding over the Joint Strike Fighter threatens to spill over into the wider transatlantic relationship. On the domestic front, there is bad blood between Congress and the Pentagon over the fate of the aircraft's alternative engine.

Britain is leading the assault on Washington over the contentious issue of technology access on the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), with other program partners, such as Australia, in support.

Dumping the JSF is now an option on the British agenda, if London cannot gain what it calls "operational sovereignty." This was the blunt message made by the British Defense Procurement Minister Paul Drayson, during his visit to the U.S. Capitol last week.

There are already worries that the frustration over the JSF will taint broader defense-industrial relationships between Washington and London. A British industry source says U.S. officials are already irritated by what they view as protectionist overtones within the British government's Defense Industrial Strategy. There are also concerns about a U.S. backlash against British sales efforts in the U.S., such as on the AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin combat search-and-rescue bid.continue..