§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current weight of the standard take-off vertical 221W landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter is; what the required weight at in-service date is; and if he will make a statement. [170353]
§ Mr. IngramJoint Strike Fighter (JSF) requirements are defined in terms of aircraft performance, which is the product of many factors, including weight, drag, and engine thrust. At current engine thrust and drag values, the Short Take Off/Vertical Landing variant of the JSF is some 3300 lbs overweight to meet its stipulated overall performance levels. Work is in hand in the United States to examine options to ensure that the overall performance requirements are met, addressing all possible options including a significant reduction in aircraft weight. This work will not mature in detail until early 2005, although an interim assessment of likely outcome in summer 2004 will enable performance against the United Kingdom's Key User Requirements to be preliminarily evaluated at that time.