Karen Walker/ORLANDORamon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
BOEING IS PURSUING potential UK subcontractors as part of its bid for the US Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) programme in an attempt to position its aircraft as a contender for the UK's Future Offensive Aircraft (FOA) to replace the Panavia Tornado GR4.
Dowty Aerospace has already signed up as the first of these subcontractors to manufacture the aircraft's landing gear. Boeing has also unsuccessfully courted British Aerospace.
The US company would like to see the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in a fly-off for the FOA requirement against a BAe/Dassault design. The European companies have recently signed an agreement covering FOA research.
Boeing JAST programme manager Mickey Michellich says: "We have flown very preliminary FOA missions and JAST could be a low-cost competitor."
Competing for the concept-demonstration phase of the JAST programme with Boeing are Lockheed Martin, and the McDonnell Douglas (MDC)/Northrop Grumman/British Aerospace team.
The final request for proposals is scheduled to be issued at the end of this month. A pair of concept-demonstration contracts are then expected to be awarded by the middle of October.
The JSF is the common aircraft which will be produced to meet US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps requirements from the year 2008. The Royal Navy is also looking at an advanced short take-off and vertical-landing variant of the JSF to replace BAe Sea Harriers now in service aboard its Invincible-class carriers.
Source: Flight International
