Lockheed Martin concedes new delays for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
US defence giant Lockheed Martin has flagged fresh delays in its delivery of the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Australia’s air force is expecting fresh delays on the delivery of its next jet fighter upgrade, with the Department of Defence confirming on Wednesday it expects delayed delivery of some of its next generation F-35 fighter jets.
US defence giant Lockheed Martin flagged a slowdown of work on its troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program on Tuesday night, conceding that the coronavirus crisis had delayed delivery of parts for its US assembly lines and saying it would be forced to slow manufacture of the fighter for at least three months.
The comments come only days after US President Donald Trump threatened to pull the manufacture of all parts for the joint strike fighter back to the US, putting contracts worth billions with Australian manufacturers, and thousands of local jobs, at risk.
It is unclear whether Lockheed’s new problems in the US could push back work being delivered by the more than 50 Australian suppliers to the program, who employ thousands of Australians and have combined contracts worth more than $1.7bn.
But in a statement Lockheed hinted the decision could have flow-on effects to its smaller suppliers across the globe, saying it would accelerate payment terms to “small and vulnerable” suppliers to mitigate the impact of its manufacturing problems.
In an interview quoted in the US defence press, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program manager Greg Ulmer said Lockheed’s US assembly lines could fall as much as 24 short of the 141 planes slated for delivery in 2020.
Lockheed said it would furlough some workers at its US assembly plants and move to smaller staffing rosters in response to the delays.
A spokesman for Lockheed Martin Australia said the company was working with its customers and manufacturing partners to “limit impacts to the F-35 program”.
“We expect to return to pre-COVID 19 production levels in a few months. We are confident in the long-term stability of the F-35 program and our ability to deliver on our commitments.”
Australia is due to take delivery of another 15 F-35s in 2021, and the Defence Department has said its F-35 program will reach “Initial Operating Capability” - the point at which it is capable of deploying the fighters in the field, by the end of 2020.
Under the JSF project, Australia has agreed to buy 72 of the aircraft as part of a $17bn program to replace the ageing F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets, which have been in RAAF service since 1985.
A spokesperson for the department said on Wednesday it expected a delay in the delivery of a “small number” of its next order, and was still weighing the impact of the Lockheed slowdown on its ability to deploy the new fighter aircraft.
“A small number of Australian aircraft could potentially be delayed in the region of one to two months,” she said.
“Full operational capability planned for 2023 is not expected to be impacted.”
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