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F-35 PROGRAM ADVANCES; PARTNERS TACKLE OPERATIONS

U.S. and British military officials met to discuss Joint Strike Fighter operations at a U.K. air show this month, as the F-35 begins its transition from development concept to tangible plane. Brig. General Robert Walsh, the U.S. Marines assistant deputy commandant for aviation, said he met his U.K. counterparts at the Royal International Air Tattoo, which took place July 14-15 in Gloucestershire. "This was the first time we kind of stepped out of the acquisition box and met with the operators," Walsh said. He said the U.S. and the U.K. have begun discussions on exactly how to use the planes for military operations, so the jets can be outfitted appropriately as they come off the production line. The U.S. Marines are counting on the F-35 STOVL model to be ready on schedule. They have opted not to upgrade their existing fleet of F/A-18 fighters, made by Boeing, to save money for F-35 purchases. Walsh said this is still the plan, although it gets riskier as the service's older F/A-18s and Harriers become too old to fly. "We probably have a little bit left in the shock absorber," Walsh said, when asked whether the Marines were under pressure to rethink their decision to wait for the "fifth-generation" F-35. Operating concerns also took top billing at this summer's gathering of chief executive officers connected to the F-35 program. BAE Systems PLC (BAESY) hosted the most recent CEO conference, the first of its kind to be held outside the U.S., and maintenance and logistics led the agenda. The U.S. F-35 program office said the program is sticking to its current schedule and hasn't hit any recent snags. The F-35's first flying aircraft, a conventional takeoff and landing model, is now in flight testing. Development continues for the STOVL model and a model for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. "The F-35 program is performing well. We now have 13 aircraft in production flow...and we are on schedule for the first STOVL flight next year," the Pentagon's joint program office said in a statement. (Dow Jones)

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