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WASHINGTON: Canada on Monday approved a production agreement for the U.S.-led multinational effort to develop the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, following the lead of the Netherlands last month.
Canadian Deputy Minister of National Defense Ward Elcock and U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England signed a memorandum of understanding outlining their cooperation as the program moves from development to production and support.
Lockheed Martin Corp. is the prime contractor for the supersonic, radar-evading jet, which the United States is developing together with eight international partners.
Marine Brig. Gen. David Heinz, deputy director of the F-35 program, last week told Reuters that Canada — which has already contributed $150 million to the program — would sign the memorandum on Monday, followed by Australia on Tuesday.
The remaining partners on the $276.5-billion project to develop and build a new family of radar-evading warplanes, including Britain, Italy, Turkey and Denmark, are due to sign the agreement by the end of the year, Heinz said.
Norway's agreement might slip into next year, because of questions in its legislature about its industry's share of F-35-related contracts, Heinz said.
Britain's defense procurement minister, Lord Drayson, is due to meet with England early on Tuesday to discuss a technology-sharing agreement that Britain says it wants before signing the production memorandum.
A spokesman for Britain's Ministry of Defence said last week Britain would not commit to the next stage of the fighter program unless it received U.S. assurances that it would be able to operate the aircraft independently.
But one official following the talks said Britain and the United States had made good progress in recent months, and an agreement was likely soon,
Three single-engine F-35 models are to replace aging F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and a range of other fighter and strike aircraft for the United States and its friends over the next 30 years.
The Pentagon said the production and support memorandum would expand cooperation among the United States and its eight international partners, “providing a framework for future JSF Program efforts in production and beyond.”
It said the deal signed on Monday by Canada and the United States would have a significant positive impact on defense ties between the two countries, providing benefits for homeland defense, interoperability, modernization, cost reductions, and the health of the North American industrial base.
The first F-35 test aircraft is on track for first flight this week, officials said earlier on Monday.
