Lord Drayson Is A Shrewd Negotiator

How many times have you walked away from a new car deal because you just couldn't get the options you wanted? That may be the case with Great Britain's defense procurement minister, Lord Drayson, on Britain's deal to buy the upcoming F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Drayson was on Capitol Hill this week, hoping to convince the dealership -- Congress, in this particular scenario -- to give him the options he wants: namely, the option of a Rolls-Royce engine instead of the standard equipment Pratt & Whitney F135. He also wants to use his own mechanics, instead of those supplied by the United States to maintain and modify the fighters as needed.

And, he wants to keep the keys. The British say the way things are structured right now, they won't have the codes needed to arm their own F-35s. So Lord Drayson was on Capitol Hill Tuesday... trying to reach an agreement with the manager.

He's clearly negotiated before.

"Without the technology transfer to give us aircraft that are fit to fight on our terms, we will not be able to buy this aircraft," Drayson said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

It's not like the Brits have nowhere else to go for a fighter jet, either. The Dassault dealership across the pond in Paris is looking for buyers of its shiny Rafale model (right) -- and the British have made it very clear they don't mind shopping somewhere else if they can't get the deal they want in Washington.

Still, Lord Drayson seems determined to buy American. An MOD spokesman says he WILL find a way to work out the two-billion dollar deal with the US... but that no matter how much Congress tries, the Brits won't take rustproofing shown on the addendum sticker.

FMI: www.jsf.mil