As U.S. Orders Decline, Foreign Orders for F-35 Take FlightJanuary 05, 2012

 

Foreign orders are starting to come in for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The company could not be happier given the Pentagon's initial order size keeps shrinking along with the declining U.S. defense budget, according to an article in the Dallas Star-Telegram.

The Pentagon has already reduced its 2011 order from 42 to 30 jets, and next year the order falls from 32 to 31, according to the article. A decline by just one jet may not appear too damaging, but it’s worth noting that the original order called for 42 jets in 2012 and 62 in 2014, according to the article.

"Because of the agonizingly slow ramp-up of the U.S. funding, they [Lockheed] need all of the [foreign] orders they can get," Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace industry analyst for the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va., told the Star-Telegram.

Here a list of some foreign orders that are either firm commitments or likely for the F-35, according to the article:

  • Japan just announced plans to purchase 42 jets, with the first delivery in 2016.
  • Work begins on jets for Italy and Australia next year.
  • Planes for the United Kingdom and Turkey will be built starting in 2014.
  • South Korea is close to making a decision on whether to purchase the jet.
  • Singapore might also want to join other Asian countries in placing an order for the jet.