Mon, May 17, 2004
British Newspaper Says It's Too Heavy For UK Carriers
Like many Americans,
the Joint Strike Fighter has a weight problem. So says the London
Sunday Telegraph, which reports the new VTOL stealth warplane is
3,300 pounds too heavy to land on two new British aircraft
carriers.
In British naval aviation, the JSF is slated to replace the
venerable Harrier Jump Jet. But the Ministry of Defense in London
says it's "concerned" that the JSF's weight problem will mean the
aircraft won't be able to land vertically, causing huge headaches
in the construction of those two new carriers.
The Telegraph cites a Lockheed-Martin analysis that it says
points to weight problems in the JSF's engine. Although it's a
revolutionary design, the engine itself weighs much more than had
been planned for. The paper reports, if the VTOL version of the JSF
has to be scrapped because of this problem, the carriers designed
for it will have to be converted to a more conventional type. That
conversion process could cost billions of dollars.
"Combat jets are like
Formula One racing cars -- every part has a vital function -- you
just can't get rid of it and still expect it work," said one
unnamed MoD worker in an interview with the Telegraph. "I don't
know how the weight is going to be reduced by 3,300 pounds. Until
recently, the Americans were claiming it was only 1,000 pounds
overweight, and they have spent a year and a half reducing that
without success."
Rob Hewson, editor of Jane's Air Launched Weapons, said the
JSF's weight problem could indeed be overwhelming. "This is going
to cost at least 60 million pounds (sterling) to correct - if it
can be corrected."
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