April 5, 2006 (by Jeff Hollenbeck) -
According to published sources, British Defense Secretary John Reid has indicated that Great Britain and the United States should be to work out an agreement on the transfer of certain classified information about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Just like the Harrier jump jet it will replace, the F-35C has the capability to take off and land vertically.
The issue of technology transfer has been a source of recent controversy and has lead to discussions in Great Britain about possibly cancelling participation in the
JSF project. If the United States fails to waive the rules, software upgrades would have to be carried out in the U.S. with the round trip adding signifigantly to the overall cost of any upgrades.
Britain is still investigating possible alternatives to the JSF in the event that the U.S. fails to waive the offending rules such as a navalized version of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
