§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Joint Strike Fighter's ability to take off from warships, with particular reference to(a) its expected performance in combat, (b) the final cost, (c) who is liable for the cost of reconfiguring the aircraft, (d) the final in service date and (e) the reasons for not identifying the take off problems earlier. [174632]
§ Mr. IngramI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 May 2004,Official Report, column 221W to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch). The weight issue impacts most significantly on the landing and take off characteristics of the aircraft, while its combat performance is currently predicted to meet the original requirements. The potential for weight growth was identified at the time of the decision to select the variant, and this, in conjunction with our intention to maximise the flexibility of use of the future carriers (CVF) over their life, influenced our decision to opt for an 'adaptable' design for CVF.
I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 11 May 2004, Official Report, column 219W, regarding the projected final cost of the System Demonstration and Development phase of JSF. Under the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding, the non-US partners in the programme are not bound to contribute to cost increases.
The Future Joint Aircraft in service date, based on current planning assumptions, is 2012.