PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - F-35 Cancelled, then what ?
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Old 17th Apr 2013, 16:33
  #1880 (permalink)  
eaglemmoomin
 
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Interesting thread about the Dutch F35 cancellation:-

Dutch Cancel Order for F-35 JSF|F-35|Forum :: F-16.net
Not really very interesting at all, the thread is nearly three years old! It really only shows that its been a highly politicised purchase for many years. There is a newer thread. It's fair to say that Boeing and Saab have been lobbying and are making presentations today, however Gen Bogdan is giving a presentation tommorrow.

The reality is that it's far more likely that the Dutch will either just buy less of them or procure later in smaller drips and drops or hang on until the aircraft goes into full rate production and then purchase, and I'm sure there will be varying levels of economic impact for local industries if the Dutch go that route and a corresponding increase in everyone elses purchase hence immense political presure. So you have the double hit of displeasing your political allies, your local aerospace industry and the worker/unions involved.

The problem with any re-tendering process at this point is that it will take years and then you'll have a different set of industrial/political wrangling (Boeing don't have any existing workshare agreements for the F18, and SAAB have a plane in development that carries halfish the armament that the F35 does and has less range than the F35B) to go through with no firm date on your aircraft because your armed forces will inevitably want specific requirements embodying in the purchase all of their asssumptions and planning will have been for this other aircraft and will thus have to change adding yet more delay and cost.

Last edited by eaglemmoomin; 17th Apr 2013 at 17:02.
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