Future Joint Combat Aircraft

HC Deb 11 May 2004 vol 421 cc219-20W

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 22 March to the hon. Member for Chorley,Official Report, columns 548–49W on the Future Joint Combat Aircraft programme, what the original (a) estimated cost and (b) delivery date of the Joint Strike Fighter was; and what the current projected final cost is. [170470]

Mr. Ingram

The original estimated cost at the time of the US Defense Acquisition Board approval of the Systems Demonstration and Development phase of the Joint Strike Fighter was $33 billion. The current projected final cost of the phase is $41 billion.

The original estimated delivery date, based on the Short Take Off/Vertical Landing variant of the aircraft, was 2010.