Navy aircraft carrier plans hit by further delays
Britain could be left without an aircraft carrier equipped with fighter jets for the next decade after soaring costs threw Ministry of Defence plans into doubt.
The rethink also comes amid fears that a design flaw in the new Joint Strike Fighter makes it unable to land on aircraft carriers. Leaked Pentagon documents found the plane had failed eight simulated landings.
A redesign is likely to prove costly and delay the project meaning that when Britain’s only aircraft carrier comes into service in 2020 it may have no jets.
Philip Hammond may be forced to choose an alternative model of the Joint Strike Fighter, which would throw into doubt an agreement between France and Britain to share weapons and equipment, including aircraft carriers .
No comments:
Post a Comment