Graham Warwick/MONTREAL
The UK must decide before the middle of next year whether it wants to remain in the US-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, if it wants a say in selecting the winning design. The UK Ministry of Defence is looking at doubling the number of aircraft it originally intended to purchase, following changes to its operational doctrine.
UK JSF project manager Capt Simon Henley says that, if the MoD wants to participate in source selection, it must confirm the JSF as its Future Carrier Borne Aircraft (FCBA) before requests for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) proposals are issued to Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the middle of next year.
Studies of four "fall-back" options are under way: the Boeing F/A-18E/F, British Aerospace Harrier 3, Dassault Rafale M and a navalised Eurofighter. These studies, and a cost and operational effectiveness analysis of the FCBA and planned future aircraft carrier (CVF) planned to begin in August, are timed to allow a decision by the deadline, Henley says.
"We have contributed $200 million to the JSF concept demonstration and are spending $20 million on studying alternatives, so you can see where our emphasis is," he says. But a formal UK decision to participate in the JSF EMD, which would require substantial funding, has not yet been taken.
After the creation of the Joint Force 2000, combining the Royal Navy BAe Sea Harrier FA2 and Royal Air Force Harrier GR7 fleets, UK participation in JSF development and production would be based on a requirement for 150 aircraft - up from the 60 needed when the JSF was viewed solely as a Sea Harrier replacement.
Despite the fact that the two planned CVFs will be large-deck carriers, the UK is still interested in the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the JSF, Henley says, because of its higher sortie-generation capability and the increased basing flexibility.
Under Joint Force 2000, he says, the UK's three GR7 and two FA2 frontline squadrons will be replaced from 2018 by four co-located squadrons operating a common multirole aircraft. Two of the 12-aircraft squadrons will be "dark blue", and spend most of their time on the CVFs. Two will be "light blue", operating from land, or from the carriers in certain conditions.
Speaking at the American Helicopter Society Forum in Montreal, Henley said that the CVFs will also carry two other new aircraft: the Future Amphibious Support Helicopter, for which the Bell Boeing V-22 tiltrotor and EH Industries EH101 are contenders; and the Future Organic Airborne Early Warning aircraft, for which the V-22 and a compound-wing EH101 are contenders. Adding a wing and thrusting engines to the helicopter would provide the speed and altitude capability required for the airborne early warning mission, he says.
Source: Flight International
