UK to "maybe" cut F35B numbers

HI Guys,

Just spotted this:

ukdefencejournal.org.uk...

It also appears on a number of other sites, the up shot is that the UK "maybe" planning to cut the number by 50%

I my mind 48 F35B for the carriers maybe just enough then another 12 for training, spares etc.

This maybe a a split buy of F35B and F35A or pure conjecture on my part penny pinching to help fund the Tempest.

Kind regards,

RAB

Sounds like F35C is getting ready.

a reply to: kwakakev
Errr,... how so?
There is no mention or inference in that or any other article that the UK is likely to switch its F-35 order. The only thing being stated here is that they will probably halve the number of total F-35's to just 70 odd. There is also no reason to buy the F-35C as they dont have a carrier capable of launching it. I'm al little perplexed by your post.

a reply to: thebozeian

I don't expect the military to advertise its latest and greatest. Usually when a model is discontinued it is because it has been upgraded. Maybe it is a TR4B instead?

a reply to: kwakakev

Nothing is being discontinued, and you're so very wrong. The F-15 was discontinued for years before the F-22 was built. The same with a number of other systems. The F-35 is being bought by somewhere around a dozen countries, including over 2200 planned for the US alone. The F-35C is already being built for the Navy and has been from the start.

a reply to: RAB

Those are some pretty cool planes, but they are a little dated.

a reply to: Rekrul

Everything active military is, but there's still nothing out there even close to comparable to the F-35. And won't be for a long time.

Woudln't make much sense as UK carriers etc part of the Joinf Strike Force JSF/F-35B and international intergrated systems were based on F-35 from 1999/2000 in the uk UK. It'd cripple defense and offense capacity and require complete redesign/abandoment of the last 20 years of UK defene R&D.

Given to UK's huge role in designing, developing and manufaturing F35-B we usually get a huge discount for those reasons.

a reply to: bastion

It seems like about once or twice a year there's a new rumor about the UK program. They were going to switch to Cs and redesign the carriers to CATOBAR, they were going to cut the buy, they were going to add to the buy, they were going to get all Bs, they were going to get mostly As....

I’ve heard discussions about a switch to the A model for some of the buy but not from any officials obviously!

And this makes sense as we probably don’t have the crews for two carrier groups to operate at a war state anyway, so never will there be more that 48 embarked, and even then it’s unlikely with the ASW helo’s and other heavy lifters.

The F-35A supporting Typhoons makes good sense IMO.