£150million air farce
New fighters won’t work because of defence cuts
BRITAIN is paying hundreds of millions of pounds for flawed fighter jets, it was claimed yesterday.
An investigation has found the F-35 Lightning II, the most expensive aircraft of its kind, may be unable to function properly as a result of defence cuts.
Defence officials will be called before MPs to explain the costs of the jets. Julian Lewis MP, chairman- elect of the Commons’ defence select committee, told the Times he planned to recommend a special session to examine the new claims.
The UK is buying 138 of the planes and their US manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, claims the aircraft will cost between £77million and £100million each.
But an analysis suggests they could actually cost up to £150million each thanks to a range of hidden costs. It is claimed that items such as software upgrades and spare parts are buried in US defence contracts and not included in the published figures.
In addition, four of the jets that have been ordered can’t safely take off and land vertically because they are too heavy. Experts also said cuts had meant the Ministry of Defence had failed to invest enough on communications – meaning the jets may not be able to effectively talk to each other.
And this was just the start of a string of failings uncovered by the Times investigation. For example, the so- called stealth jet cannot transmit data to British ships without revealing its position.
One test pilot had to land in almost total darkness after night vision failed in the F-35’s £309,000 helmet, and its software system is vulnerable to cyber attack. Britain, which has pledged to spend more than £12billion on the new jets and aircraft carriers by 2021, is to buy 138 F-35s. The first squadron will arrive at rAF Marham next August and will be deployed on HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of two new aircraft carriers, from 2020.
But the carrier has a broadband connection of only eight megabits, four times weaker than that for an average household. The F-35 will not be able to send data on enemy threats back to ground forces.
The Times also found that defence staff had failed to buy a critical system enabling the plane to communicate with older friendly aircraft while maintaining stealth capability. It has to switch to an unsecured wavelength, which could give away its position.
The jet is still in development, but US aviation expert Pierre Sprey said: ‘It is unbelievably abnormal to have this level of problems. Manoeuvrability is appallingly bad.’
Lockheed Martin disputed the £150million figure and the Ministry of Defence said the F-35 programme was ‘on time, within costs and offers the best capability for our Armed Forces’. A spokesman added that all the issues with the plane were under ‘active management’.
An MoD source said last night that military figures were ‘scathing’ about the investigation by the Times. He added: ‘It was a rehash of stories and back- of-the-fag-packet figures from the Times.’
Wing Commander Jim Beck, one of the UK’s most experienced F-35 pilots, said: ‘The F-35 is the best aircraft I’ve ever flown. It is the most advanced multi-role fighter jet out there and the aircraft most suited to the UK’s needs.’
‘Unbelievably abnormal’