Back to news

July 26, 2018 | International, Aerospace

U.S. General Says Future UK Fighter Jet Must Be Compatible With F-35

BERLIN (REUTERS) - THE top U.S. Air Force general in Europe on Wednesday said it was critical to ensure any future British fighter jet was compatible with the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter built by Lockheed Martin for a number of U.S. allies, including Britain.

General Tod Wolters, commander of U.S. and NATO air forces in Europe, told reporters on a teleconference that he had watched Britain's unveiling of a new fighter jet development effort electronically from afar, but had not spoken with UK officials specifically about the new combat aircraft program.

UK officials launched the new Tempest fighter jet program last week at the Farnborough Airshow outside London.

Wolters said officials from both countries had discussed future combat air capabilities in the past, and agreed on the need to ensure any new systems could work with existing weapons.

"One of the key ingredients that has to go into any future systems is to make sure that it's interoperable with existing systems and certainly the systems that that UK is embracing," he said, referring to Britain's growing fleet of F-35 fighter jets.

"As the UK decides to go forward with a system that could be called Tempest, we would hope that it would be as interoperable as possible with the great system that they've just acquired ... the F-35B," he said.

CERTAIN

He said he was certain that Britain was looking very closely at the issue, which he called "critical".

Britain has said it is looking for international partners for the new development program, and is already in discussions with Sweden, Japan and other countries. Wolters sidestepped a question on whether the United States could also play a role.

He did announce plans to bring U.S. radar-evading, or fifth-generation, aircraft to Europe in the coming months to continue efforts to integrate those capabilities with fifth-generation aircraft operated by allies, and with older fourth-generation weapons in Europe.

He declined to provide details on whether the F-35 or F-22, both radar-evading aircraft, would be brought to Europe, or when.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-07-25/us-general-says-future-uk-fighter-jet-must-be-compatible-with-f-35

On the same subject

  • EU’s top diplomat warns against defense cuts

    May 13, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    EU’s top diplomat warns against defense cuts

    BRUSSELS — The European Union's top diplomat is warning member countries not to slash defense spending as their economies buckle under pressure from the coronavirus, as the disease could spark security challenges. After chairing a video conference of defense ministers on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it was clear the pandemic is very likely to deteriorate the security environment in the years ahead. Borrell said as the crisis also hits the economy, it's important to secure the necessary funding for security and defense. Talks between the 27 EU member countries over their next long-term budget have been blocked for more than a year, well before the coronavirus hit Europe. Cuts to defense funds in that spending package were already under consideration. Given the impact of the disease, that seems even more likely now. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/05/12/eus-top-diplomat-warns-against-defense-cuts/

  • Space Force, partners to craft global supply chain strategy

    September 25, 2023 | International, Aerospace

    Space Force, partners to craft global supply chain strategy

    The event will give stakeholders a chance to share their perspectives on global supply chain challenges and opportunities to address them.

  • Exclusive: Lockheed raises concerns over L3Harris-Aerojet deal

    June 20, 2023 | International, Aerospace

    Exclusive: Lockheed raises concerns over L3Harris-Aerojet deal

    Lockheed Martin has raised concerns with the U.S. Defense Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about L3Harris's acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne , Lockheed's chief operating officer said on Tuesday.

All news