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| UK Selects JSF STOVL Variant |
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 The United Kingdom has opted to purchase 150 F-35Bs, the short takeoff and vertical landing version of the JSF, in making the first of two long-awaited decisions that will shape Britain’s planned carrier task force. The F-35Bs are intended to replace BAE Systems Harrier FA.2s and GR.7/9s as two new CVF aircraft carriers enter service in 2012. The $15 billion deal comes after some debate within the UK Ministry of Defence about whether to buy the F-35B or F-35C, the carrier-based conventional takeoff variant of the JSF. The F-35B’s design was chosen because it “builds on Britain’s unique and valuable knowledge of STOVL aircraft, acquired during nearly four decades of Harrier operations on land and sea,” said Procurement Minister Lord Willy Bach. Timing was a key factor in buying the F-35B, Bach said. The US Marine Corps’ F-35B is scheduled to be the first JSF version to enter service, which also satisfies Britain’s schedule. Buying the F-35B allows the Royal Navy to move forward with the design of its two planned conventional aircraft carriers, one of the JSF’s primary operating platforms. |
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