Posted on 12/02/2010 9:50:33 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Clarity on how many Joint Strike Fighters the Netherlands will buy should emerge in the spring.
Dutch defense minister Hans Hillen says the F-16 replacement program -- effectively the purchase of F-35s -- will be part of the larger review of force structure in light of planned reductions in defense spending.
For Lockheed Martin the situation going into the review is not ideal. The Dutch are starting to come to grips with the cost implications to them of the big cost increases the core Joint Strike Fighter program is suffering. The latest assessment by the Dutch defense minister is that costs have gone up around 20%, or €1.4 billion on the €6.2 billion planned currently.
The Dutch are slated to buy 85 aircraft, but there has been much talk about reducing that figure to slightly more than 50 units
(Excerpt) Read more at aviationweek.com ...
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