Though facing severe heat from the political quarters, top USAF and Navy officials have nonetheless stuck to their guns by backing the Lockheed Martin-led ‘Joint Strike Fighter’ (JSF) programme. They also maintained, when grilled by members of the US Senate Armed Services Committee on April 13, that they had no plans to buy more Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters than already catered for despite the skyrocketing cost of the F-35 development programme and delays in deliveries of test aircraft. This stand taken by the Services officials was based on a belief that a major restructuring had put the programme back on track, which in any case they were monitoring closely.

The defence officials maintained that they had made an “unequivocal” commitment to the JSF programme and considered it essential for replacing the ageing fleets of fighters. The US Navy side also maintained that the looming tactical fighter shortfall was manageable and predicted it could be managed to peak at about 100 aircraft in 2018 by extending the life of some of the existing planes.

In the meantime, there was no immediate danger of the shutting down of the Boeing F/A-18 assembly line due to lack of orders. Boeing, which has already supplied more than 420 Super Hornets to the US Navy, is continuing production to fulfill the existing orders which will last through at least 2015. Boeing’s Super Hornet is also in the race for international orders especially, for the much touted India’s 126-aircraft MMRCA deal and, if selected, would help keep the F/A-18 production going for many more years to come.

Lockheed Martin, on its part is trying hard to accelerate the development phases of JSF’s three variants as well as improve its production learning curve at the assembly lines to bring down per unit production costs. To cut down developments costs further, Pentagon has also rejected the idea of continued funding for a second (alternate) engine for the F-35 that is being built by GE-RR while encouraging P&W as it puts into action its cost-cutting plans for a fourth lot of F135 engines, powering the F-35.

In the final analysis, both the airframe and engine makers will have to get their respective act together to live up to the faith reposed on them, not only by the US military, but also by many nations across the globe who are participating in the programme.