Toured Lockheed Martin Plant Monday

Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has received its fair share of criticism from US and British lawmakers, for being overbudget... but you won't hear a discouraging word about the plane from the land Down Under.

"This is the right aircraft," said Australia's Defense Minister, Brendan Nelson, during a tour Monday of Lockheed Martin's plant in Fort Worth, TX." It will serve Australia's needs for more than 30 years. It's also a good value for the money."

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Australia plans to buy up to 100 JSFs, at a total cost of about $15 billion, to replace it's fleet of F-111s and early model F/A-18s.

Several subcontractors -- GKN Aerospace Engineering, Marand, Adacel Technologies, Ferra Engineering Pty Ltd., and Production Parts -- manufacture parts for the F-35 in Australia, one of eight international partners working on the fighter.

Nelson spent more than four hours the JSF assembly line, and meeting with company representatives and US military officials. He also saw the first production-spec JSF, which is undergoing testing before its first flight this fall, said Lockheed spokesman John Kent.

"Lockheed Martin's presentation to me suggests that the aircraft is on schedule for delivery to Australia in 2012," Nelson said.

A formal decision on Australia's purchase plans isn't expected before 2008. To date, the aircraft hasn't received any orders from any country -- including the US and Britain, who are expected to order about 2,500 of the advanced fighter.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com, www.defence.gov.au