"The Lockheed Martin team is the winner of the Joint Strike Fighter program on the best value basis," US Air Force Secretary James Roche said.

The group beat rival Boeing Corp. on the basis of strengths, weaknesses and degrees of risks in the program, Roche said. The decision was taken together with Britain, he added.

The contract, initially worth about 18.98 billion dollars, could grow to more than 200 billion dollars, said US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Edward "Pete" Aldridge.

Aldridge said the JSF was designed to be "the world's premier strike platform beginning in 2008, and lasting through 2040."

Matt Collins, an aeronautics analyst with the St Louis consulting firm Edward Jones, said the contract could bring the winning firm some 400 billion dollars when global sales are counted.

"The sales will probably be more than 400 billion over the life of the contract. This would be without a doubt the biggest defense contract ever," Collins said.

"This is a wonderful day for Lockheed Martin, one day that will set a course for the next 30 to 40 years," company chief executive and chairman Vance Coffman told employees at a celebration party.

"Have at the cake," he added.

At the main Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas, employees stood and erupted in applause when the decision was announced.

Pratt and Whitney won a contract to supply JSF119 engines, a modified version of the engine that powers the air force's new F-22 Raptor, worth four billion dollars initially.

Three versions of the Lockheed Martin fighter will be produced for the Navy, Air Force and the Marines, with special fittings for each branch. The British navy and air force also are participating in the program.

The single-engine planes with a radar-evading design -- which will require seven or eight years to develop and refine, followed by a 30-year production phase starting in 2013 -- will replace nearly all fighter jets currently in use: the F-16, the A-10 attack jet, the AV-8 Harriers used by the Marines and eventually the F-18.

"For the winner, it is like dying and going to heaven," said Loren Thompson, analyst at the defense policy think tank Lexington Institute.

"For the loser, it like going to purgatory or worse."

Lockheed Martin's winning design was for the X-35, the profile of which is reminiscent of a feathered dart.

The Pentagon expects to order about 3,000 of the high-tech Joint Strike Fighters at a price of some 200 billion dollars, and also sell a similar number of the jets to US allies.

Pentagon requirements called for an aircraft that is supersonic, stealthy and highly maneuverable.

It will weigh between 10,000 and 11,000 kilos (22,000 and 24,000 pounds), carry 6,000 kilos (13,000 pounds) of munitions, 6,800 kilos (15,000 pounds) of fuel, and have a range in excess of 600 nautical miles.

Boeing chairman Phil Condit said his company was disappointed at the decision. But Condit said he hoped Boeing would be able to work on the Joint Strike Fighter project under Lockheed Martin.

"This was an incredibly tough competition and we congratulate Lockheed Martin. We're looking forward to the possibility of bringing our capabilities and skills to the Lockheed Martin JSF team," he said in a statement.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Lockheed Martin
Joint Striker Fighter
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Military Space News at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News