Other Nations Expected To Sign MOU By End Of Year
This week, the Netherlands became the first of the partner
nations involved in the development of the F-35 to extend its
participation into the production and support phase of the Joint
Strike Fighter program.
Netherlands Deputy Secretary for Defence Cees van der Knaap and
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England signed the
Production, Sustainment and Follow-On Development Memorandum of
Understanding (PSFD MOU) on Tuesday. The MOU extends cooperation in
the program beyond the current System Development and Demonstration
(SDD) phase.
"Because of the extremely hard work of a very dedicated team
over a couple of years, the Netherlands and the United States were
able to take this very historic step toward building a powerful
international coalition," said Brig. Gen. C.R. Davis, F-35
Lightning II program executive officer.
"This is the culmination of years of hard work on the part of
many people, and is an outstanding example of teamwork and
partnership between two strong allies," said Tom Burbage, Lockheed
Martin (NYSE:LMT) executive vice president and general manager of
F-35 Program Integration. "That partnership exists on several
levels, certainly between the military operators who will employ
this phenomenal system, and between the government leaders and
industry teammates who will ensure its enduring success over time.
This is a great day for the F-35 program."
"We are making sure that the F-35 Lightning II brings profound
improvements in capability to the Netherlands and the other F-35
operators around the world, while at the same time energizing the
manufacturing and technology sectors of those countries'
economies," said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice
president and F-35 program general manager. "This is an
international project, with international design input,
international components and systems, and new levels of
interoperability that will ensure mission success, time after
time."
Once the PSFD MOU signing process is complete, the partners will
cooperatively develop, produce, test, train and operate the F-35
Lightning II. The Netherlands joined as an SDD partner in June 2002
and has been involved in the JSF program since 1997. The other F-35
partner nations -- the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, Canada,
Australia, Denmark and Norway -- are expected to sign the PSFD MOU
by the end of December.
The stealthy F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5TH Generation
fighter designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft,
including AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United
Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers. First flight is planned for
later this year.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 Lightning II with its
principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.
Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development:
the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine
Team F136.
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