UK Reverses Course On Carrier Strike F-35s | Aviation International News

UK Reverses Course On Carrier Strike F-35s

UK Ministry of Defence reversed course on its Carrier Strike program, confirming a switch from the F-35C CV version back to the F-35B STOVL version.

The first F-35B for the UK took off on its first flight last month. Britain ordered three for test and evaluation before the now-abandoned decision to switch to the F-35C. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

By Chris Pocock • Defense Correspondent

May 11, 2012

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) reversed course on its Carrier Strike program, confirming a switch from the F-35C CV version back to the F-35B STOVL version of the Joint Strike Fighter. The decision was expected, and has been driven by a doubling of the estimated cost (to more than $3.2 billion) to convert for “cat and trap” operations one of two new British carriers that are already under construction. The conversion would also delay the introduction of the Carrier Strike capability “by at least three years,” to 2023, British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said. The reversal is politically embarrassing, since in 2010 the incoming government made a strong case for the F-35C, citing its longer range, greater payload and lower acquisition cost.

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