§ Lord Taylor of Blackburnasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in the selection of the prime contractor for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the joint strike fighter programme. [HL1001]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)It was announced in Washington on Friday 26 October that Lockheed Martin has been selected for the contract award.
153WAThe UK participated fully in the selection process, and the decision is good news for our Armed Forces and for UK defence companies teamed with Lockheed Martin.
The aircraft, which will meet our future joint combat aircraft (FJCA) requirement, will incorporate advanced stealth technology and will be able to conduct multi-role operations from the sea and from the land. The decision represents a further important step, following the Strategic Defence Review, to provide the UK with up-to-date flexible expeditionary air power capability.
UK industry stands to gain substantial benefits. The value of the work for UK companies over the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase is of the order of £3 billion, with much further work in production and support activities in years to come. Lockheed Martin assesses that up to 3,500 jobs could be sustained or created during EMD, rising to 8,500 in the later phases.