§ 30. Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the securing of design authority with reference to the joint strike fighter project. [15104]
§ Mr. HoonThe exchange of letters in January 2001 with the then United States Defence Secretary Cohen allows for the UK to have a national joint strike fighter (JSF) support capability, if required. Establishment of a UK design authority would fall under this heading.
Ministry of Defence officials are working closely with their US counterparts to ensure that US information is released in a timely manner to enable UK industry to put forward cost-effective options for JSF support.