Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
THE US DEFENCE department's Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) programme office has handed out 24 contracts, worth $140 million, for concept definition and design research. No foreign firms were on the list, but the Pentagon says that it wants to open up the project.
The Pentagon is trying to establish a framework for allied participation in the JAST project, which was recently merged with the Advanced Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing (ASTOVL) programme. This already involves foreign contractors.
With the merger, "...the stage is set for wider dialogue with allies" and the USA "...welcomes discussions on their participation in the JAST programme", the Pentagon says. It points out, however, that until a framework is formulated, foreign involvement is limited to JAST subcontracting and an existing ASTOVL work.
The Pentagon statement flies in the face of a recently released Defense Science Board report, which questions the merits of foreign participation in the JAST project.
It says that foreign teaming should be minimised because "...foreign participation in co-development of next-generation strike fighters, other than limited participation for special reasons, would complicate the programme to the point of reducing the probability of success". It says that foreign involvement should be "...measured by credible expectation of valued added".
The contracts involve weapon-system concepts, avionics, air-vehicle structures and materials, propulsion and modeling/simulation. Weapons system research-and-development contracts have been awarded to: Boeing ($28 million), McDonnell Douglas ($28 million), Northrop Grumman ($24 million) and Lockheed ($20 million).
Boeing also received a $2.3 million avionics development award and a $1.7 million contract for common airframe studies. Northrop Grumman won $2 million for avionics research, while Lockheed was awarded two other contracts, worth a total of $2.4 million, for JAST research and development.
Other awards include, Texas Instruments ($2.5 million) for avionics, Hughes Aircraft ($1.6 million) for electronics, TRW ($2 million) for electronics, Unisys ($1.2 million) for computers, Rockwell International, two contracts worth $1 million for avionics and engine nozzle work, Pratt & Whitney ($5.5 million) and General Electric Aircraft Engines ($3.7 million) for advanced engine research.
Source: Flight International
