Written question asked by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 February 2010.

Air Force: F-35 Programme

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government following the statement by United States Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz on 20 January, whether the Ministry of Defence has been notified of (a) the delay of the F-35 programme, and (b) any additional costs to the unit price of early aircraft as a result of a delay.

Answer: The UK has been briefed on the changes to the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme announced by the US and there is no immediate impact on either the UK’s ongoing participation in JSF or our future plans to acquire the aircraft. We do not expect any changes to the costs of the three aircraft we have agreed to purchase for operational test. Any potential increase in the unit cost of future jet procurement will depend on a number of factors and we will continue to monitor this position closely along with our US colleagues.

Secondary information