By Jun Ji-hye
Concerns have grown over a rise in the unit cost of the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter that the Air Force plans to buy, in the wake of the U.S. Navy’s recent decision to reduce its order by almost a third.
The U.S. Navy plans to buy 38 F-35Cs, the navy variant, from 2016 to 2020, according to the fiscal 2016-2020 Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) that the Department of Defense submitted to Congress on Feb. 2. The Navy initially stated in previous plans it would buy 54 aircraft.
The New York-based weekly magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology attributed the decision to budgetary concerns.
This marks the first time the U.S. military has moved to slow down its F-35 “Joint Strike Fighter” (JSF) project, a multinational program between the U.S. and eight foreign partners in developing the air force variant F-35A, marine corps variant F-35B and navy variant F-35C of the stealth fighter.
Officials and defense industry watchers say the reduction of planned buys by the U.S. could lead to a rise in the cost of the aircraft for other countries.
“A rise in unit cost can possibly occur as the JSF project was originally designed to lower development costs,” a South Korean military official said, asking not to be named.
In September last year, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) finalized a plan to purchase 40 F-35s as the nation’s next-generation fighter (F-X) for 7.3 trillion won ($7 billion). The unit cost of each aircraft was estimated at 120 billion won.
Lockheed Martin’s stealth fighter was selected over Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle and EADS’s Eurofighter Typhoon.
Regarding the latest decision by the U.S. Navy, the JSF Program Office stated that “the Navy’s commitment to the program remains strong” and that it expects the Navy’s cutbacks to be offset by international JSF procurements.
A DAPA official added that the decision made in the U.S. would not affect other countries that are planning to purchase the fighter jets.
“I don’t think Washington will impose shortage cost (caused by the U.S. navy’s decision to reduce its planned buys) on foreign countries,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Along with the questionable price, the state-of-the-art jet fighter has been embroiled in a series of controversies over its capabilities.
U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert told a Washington audience early this month: “Stealth may be overrated.”
“Let’s face it, if something moves fast through the air, disrupts molecules and puts out heat, I don't care how cool the engine can be, it’s going to be detectable,” he said.
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