THE US AIR FORCE and Navy are considering switching at least some of their planned orders for Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) to the short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) variant intended for the US Marine Corps and UK Royal Navy. The move could result in around half of the almost-3,000 JSFs planned being built as STOVL variants.
The air force is looking at buying at least two wings of STOVL JSFs to replace its Fairchild A-10s. The Navy says that, if the supersonic STOVL variant proves able to meet its 1,100km (600nm) range requirement, it would be prepared to drop its requirement for a carrier-capable (CV) variant.
Speaking at a JSF symposium organised by the American Helicopter Society, Rear Adm Carlos Johnson, head of aviation plans and requirements, said that there is a good chance that the Navy may eventually buy only STOVL aircraft, avoiding the cost of developing the more-expensive CV variant. The Navy currently plans to buy 300 CV JSFs as "first-day-of-war" strike fighters.
The USAF proposes to buy 2,036 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) JSFs to replace A-10s and Lockheed Martin F-16s. Brig Gen Bruce Carlson, director of USAF global power programmes, predicts the air force will buy STOVLJSFs to replace the A-10s, and possibly F-16s.
The Marine Corps plans to buy 642 STOVLJSFs to replace McDonnell Douglas AV-8Bs and F-18s, while the Royal Navy requires 60 essentially similar aircraft to replace British Aerospace Sea Harriers.
The Royal Air Force is considering the CTOLJSF as a replacement for the Panavia Tornado GR4, but is not interested in the STOVL variant at present, says AVM Peter Norriss, Controller Air at the UK Ministry of Defence.
JSF programme director Rear Adm Craig Steidle says that data from the JSF contractors suggest that it is "starting to look feasible" for the STOVL variant to perform the Navy's CV mission. There is doubt, however, if an 1,100km combat radius is achievable.
Source: Flight International
