Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC
The US Marine Corps is pressing for an accelerated selection of the winning Joint Strike Fighter to keep the programme on schedule, as it struggles in the interim to combat a growing shortage of tactical aircraft.
Lt Gen Fred McCorkle, USMC deputy chief of staff for aviation, says: "I think we could do a down select before the STOVL [short take-off vertical landing] aircraft fly. I would like to see the CV [aircraft carrier] or CTOL [conventional take-off and landing] fly first and see how they work. I think we'll have enough information by then."
The Boeing X-32A and Lockheed Martin X-35A CTOL/CV demonstrators are to fly in July/August. Propulsion integration problems have pushed back the start of STOVL flight testing until November or early December. This and a revised acquisition strategy threaten to delay the start of engineering, manufacturing and development.
"For the Marines, the potential is every month we delay the source selection is a delay in us ultimately fielding JSF," says the USMC. The corps is working to a tight schedule to replace its Boeing F/A-18 Hornets and Boeing AV-8B Harriers. The first of 609 JSFs is due for delivery in 2008 with an initial operational capability by 2010.
The USMC is facing a gap and is short of 13 AV-8Bs, 16 F/A-18Ds and 47 F/A-18Cs. It hopes to address the latter by taking US Navy aircraft once F/A-18E/F numbers begin to increase.
As with the navy aircraft, the USMC F/A-18s will have be structurally upgraded to extend their life. "The AV-8Bs aren't going to run out of airframe time, what we are going to do if don't lower the accident rate is run out of AV-8Bs. We lost six last year. We really are going to have to husband our assets to get us to JSF," warns McCorkle.
While the USAF and US Navy have other major programmes - the Boeing/Lockheed Martin F-22 and F/A-18E/F respectively - the USMC has no other aircraft in development. With the F/A-18E/F considered too big, the USMC says its only option would be to reopen the F/A-18C/D line, which it claims would be likely to cost more than the JSF STOVL's projected $35.6 million unit cost.
<LI>The first flight-ready Pratt & Whitney JSF119 engine for Boeing's X-32A Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator aircraft was installed at the start of April.
Source: Flight International
