NAVAL NEWS ANALYSIS SPECIAL

Joint Strike Fighter Hits Turbulence

by WARSHIPS IFR Special Correspondents

Pictured: A Joint Strike Fighter during a mid-air refuelling (DoD photo)

A landmark agreement by Britain and France on construction of new aircraft carriers has been overshadowed by a growing row between the UK and the US over the multi-billion pound Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project. Britain has implied it may pull out of the JSF programme if America refuses to provide full access to the warplane's computer codes, which are essential if the aircraft are to have total operational independence.

British defence chiefs are adamant that failure to reach an agreement will lead them to consider alternatives, while the Americans are worried about the potential loss to industrial competitors of jealously guarded military secrets.

Ironically, a potential beneficiary is France, whose Rafale naval fighter could be top of Britain's shopping list should JSF be dropped. France and Britain have already agreed to co-operate in design and procurement of the UK's future aircraft carrier (CVF) - to equip the Royal Navy with two 60,000 ton vessels - and a similar vessel for the French Navy, the so-called CVF (FR). For the Royal Navy the CVF represents the largest and most powerful warship ever constructed in the UK. Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, working relationships are not quite so harmonious. The dispute over JSF technology became public when Lord Drayson, Britain's Minister for Defence Procurement, told the Senate Armed Forces Committee of his concerns that Britain would lose control without a technology transfer deal, which is opposed by both Congress and Lockheed Martin. Lord Drayson came armed with reports from Royal Air Force chiefs that failure to reach agreement would leave them 'begging for help' from Lockheed Martin after each sortie flown by the new aircraft. Lord Drayson was unequivocal in his demands, telling reporters before his meeting with senators in Washington that the UK's purchase of the aircraft could be in doubt.

There is much at stake, including possible damage to relations between the two military partners and future cooperation on projects such as the replacement of the sea-based Trident as Britain's independent nuclear deterrent. See the June 2006 edition of WARSHIPS IFR magazine.

At the moment, Britain is committed to spending more that £1 billion on the JSF programme, but the eventual purchase of 150 jets is reported to be worth 10 times that amount. The row also throws into question Britain's contribution of jump-jet technology necessary for a variant of the JSF due to be used by the US Marines. Lord Drayson told the Senate that a mutual commitment to the JSF was dependent on Britain retaining operational sovereignty of the aircraft. Conscious of the 'Special Relationship' between the two countries, the White House is sympathetic to Britain's needs but cannot act without approval from Congress. An added complication is a decision by the US Defense Department to scrap a £2 billion programme for a second engine for the new fighter, which would have been jointly developed by Rolls Royce and General Electric. Technology transfer is absolutely essential if the JSF is to be fully integrated with the new UK aircraft carriers and, apart from Rafale, the British are also thought to be considering a maritime version of the Typhoon (Eurofighter). This latter aircraft would be a far from ideal solution as it is not thought to be robust, or advanced, enough, for naval strike fighter needs. At most it might represent an adequate compromise.

However, Lord Drayson remains hopeful that a JSF deal can be struck: "I appreciate the concerns of some in the US about the issue of technology transfer but I am optimistic that we can find a way through that will meet our requirements for sovereign capability. Our aim is to ensure that future generation of UK and US servicemen and women can continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in pursuit of common goals. Increasingly we recognise that this will depend upon access to common technology. With its increasing complexity and the growing importance of expeditionary fighting power, the necessity to share information and technology between our two great nations, both in relation to JSF and more generally, is ever more vital."

BACK in Europe, the CVF agreement between Britain and France had been signed in Innsbruck by UK Defence Minister John Reid and his French counterpart, Madame Michele Alliot-Marie. Mr Reid said: "We have taken a very important step forward on the future carrier project in agreeing how the UK will succeed in cooperation with France. It is a vital project for France, the UK and for Europe and shows our joint commitment and leading role in defence and security. We have agreed that France will pay one third of the demonstration phase costs of the common base line design. We have also agreed on staged payments to be made by France in recognition of the investment the UK has already made in the design This will comprise £30 million now and £25 million in July with a further £45 million at the end of the demonstration phase if France decides to continue with the project."

The minister said that the cross-Channel partners still had details to be resolved but that arrangements for management of the project were in place for the next 12 months. A team of seven personnel from the French Navy and the French Armament Corp, led by the Corp's Brigadier General Jean-Luc Ferrandi, were due to start work at the UK Defence Procurement Agency's (DPA's) Abbey Wood headquarters in Bristol. The French team will bring a wealth of experience to the programme, with Brig Gen Ferrandi having worked on France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carr

• See WARSHIPS IFR June 2006 for more on the Joint Strike Fighter.