British Newspaper Says It's Too Heavy For UK Carriers

Like many Americans, the Joint Strike Fighter has a weight problem. So says the London Sunday Telegraph, which reports the new VTOL stealth warplane is 3,300 pounds too heavy to land on two new British aircraft carriers.

In British naval aviation, the JSF is slated to replace the venerable Harrier Jump Jet. But the Ministry of Defense in London says it's "concerned" that the JSF's weight problem will mean the aircraft won't be able to land vertically, causing huge headaches in the construction of those two new carriers.

The Telegraph cites a Lockheed-Martin analysis that it says points to weight problems in the JSF's engine. Although it's a revolutionary design, the engine itself weighs much more than had been planned for. The paper reports, if the VTOL version of the JSF has to be scrapped because of this problem, the carriers designed for it will have to be converted to a more conventional type. That conversion process could cost billions of dollars.

"Combat jets are like Formula One racing cars -- every part has a vital function -- you just can't get rid of it and still expect it work," said one unnamed MoD worker in an interview with the Telegraph. "I don't know how the weight is going to be reduced by 3,300 pounds. Until recently, the Americans were claiming it was only 1,000 pounds overweight, and they have spent a year and a half reducing that without success."

Rob Hewson, editor of Jane's Air Launched Weapons, said the JSF's weight problem could indeed be overwhelming. "This is going to cost at least 60 million pounds (sterling) to correct - if it can be corrected."

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com