The Britain Ministry of Defence will purchase a third F-35B test aircraft, Lockheed Martin, the strike fighter’s manufacturer, has announced. This aircraft, which Lockheed will assemble during Lot 4 production, will support the F-35 program’s upcoming operational test and evaluation phase, the company said in a release. RAF Air Commodore Graham Farnell, who leads the MoD’s F-35 team, said this purchase “reflects well” upon the F-35 program and “is a measure of the confidence” that Britain has in both the program and in the aircraft itself. Soothing words for a program that has come under the microscope of late out of concern that it is facing schedule delays and cost spikes. The F-35B is the short takeoff variant. The first two British F-35B test aircraft are being built as part of Lot 3. Overall, Britain is expected to acquire 138 F-35s for the RAF and Royal Navy.
President Donald Trump projected confidence Nov. 19 that a proposed sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia will sail through the Foreign Military Sales process, an early test of the Pentagon’s acquisition reforms. The deal is also likely to face scrutiny from ally Israel over how it could affect the balance…
