U.S., 8 countries meet to discuss fighter-jet project

Posted on: Jun. 5th, 2006 || Source: aimpoints.hq.af.mil | E-mail Article | Print Article

U.S., 8 countries meet to discuss fighter-jet project

The U.S. and eight other countries will gather this week to negotiate a final road map for the Pentagon's biggest weapons program, a $276 billion fighter-jet project that has struggled to live up to its billing as a model of global cooperation.

The negotiations in Williamsburg, Va., on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, or JSF, are crucial to producing an agreement by the end of the year, in which each country is expected to declare how many airplanes it will buy. The agreement also will determine how the fleet will be maintained and upgraded over the expected 40-year lifespan of the plane.

The talks have big implications for lead contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., which oversees the JSF's development and will play a lucrative, long-term role in maintaining the planes. The Bethesda, Md., contractor won't be at the table with government officials.

A final road map for the Joint Strike Fighter is the subject of talks among the U.S. and eight other countries this week.

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