F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: next Dubai ports deal?

Published: Mar 23, 2006
Source: www.csmonitor.com



Officials in the US and in the United Arab Emirates are worried that the furor sparked by the Dubai ports deal may be repeated, this time over a core Pentagon program: development of the cutting-edge F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Financial Times reports that the new concerns have arisen due to the pending investigation of the purchase of Doncasters, a privately held British aerospace manufacturer, by the UAE-owned Dubai International Capital in a deal worth $1.2 billion.

Although the proposed transaction has not yet drawn much attention in Congress, the first signs of unease emerged on Tuesday when John Barrow, a Democratic lawmaker, released a letter demanding a tour of Doncasters' Georgia facility.continue..