Probationary Status of STOVL F-35 Will Not Affect Canadian Purchase

Canada's planned F-35 purchase will not be affected by the US government's decision to place the STOVL version of the F-35 stealth fighter on probation.

The U.S. government announced Thursday that the development of the model of the F-35 fighter jet ordered by the Marine Corps will be put on a two-year "probation" due to "significant testing problems" and will be cancelled if it cannot be fixed.

The aircraft in question differs from the one the Conservative government committed to buying this summer for a record $16 billion, a figure critics say combines the $9 billion purchase price with estimated maintenance costs. Critics also claim the contract was awarded without competition, something the Conservatives have denied.

But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged problems with the overall progress of the Joint Strike Fighter Program — which the Canadian government said will replace its aging fleet of CF-18s — during a briefing at the Pentagon to explain a series of cuts in military spending that will save the U.S. government an estimated $100 billion over five years.

"The Joint Strike Fighter program received special scrutiny, given its substantial cost, ongoing development issues, and its central place in the future of U.S. military aviation," said Gates.

While he said that two of the three JSF aircraft — to be built by the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin — are "proceeding satisfactorily," the Marine Corps version has been put on hold for two years.

"If we cannot fix this variant during this time frame and get it back on track in terms of performance, cost and schedule, then I believe it should be cancelled," said Gates.

Officials at Canada's Department of National Defence said that problems with the Marines' fighter jet have nothing to do with the one Canada will buy.

"I say without hesitation . . . this is the only aircraft for the future," said Maj.-Gen. Tom Lawson, the assistant chief of Canada's air staff.

The government committed to buying the air force version of the F-35, the CTOL (conventional take off landing), which is "much the same as fighters that Canada has flown in its history," and makes up the majority of the estimated 3,000 jets to be built for allied air forces around the globe, Lawson said.

The marine variant, the STOVL (short-take off vertical landing) allows an aircraft to land vertically. That requires the movement of large engine parts and has represented the bulk of additional costs and delays associated with the JSF, said Lawson.

There is another version for the U.S. navy.

Andre Fillion, director-general of major project delivery (air) at the Defence Department, said he doesn't anticipate any delays in the delivery of F-35s to Canada, which is set to begin in 2016 and end in 2022.

By: Shelldrake