"“We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am definitely a little worried.” "


Chinese premier Wen Jiabao 12th March 2009


""We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we'd like to do our best to preserve that system."


Timothy Geithner US Secretary of the Treasury, previously President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.1/3/2009

Friday, June 13, 2008

MOD splashing out £Billions on more toys for the boys Part 2


The U.S. Marine Corps variant of Lockheed Martin Corp's US$70 Mn a pop F-35B fighter jet, with Pratt and Whitney engines took it's first (44 minute) flight on Wednesday, Taking a conventional take-off and landing, it climbed to 15,000 feet (4,572 metres) for a series of handling, engine and other systems checks.

The US$300Bn program is the world's largest (well costliest) military program and should eventually produce 3 versions Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. The B version will be bought by the Royal Navy at a cost of £1.8Bn. for the two £3Bn (well at least £6Bn because they will overun budgets by 100% and be delayed 5 years) Aircraft Carriers now put into production.

The Pentagon estimates the overall F-35 program, including research and development, will cost $298.8 billion. Each plane is forecast to cost almost $70 million, based on plans for the U.S. military to buy 2,443 F-35 fighter jets through 2034.

The single-seat, single-engine fighter, designed to be based nearer front lines, is expected to be in the field in 2012. Graham Tomlinson, a former British military pilot, was the controls of the jet, guiding up to an altitude of 15,000 feet where he tested the F-35B's handling, engine-power variations and subsystems.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wasn't the VTOL aircraft a GB thing?


Could have sworn Raymond Baxter was promoting these on Tomorrow's World decades ago.

ziz said...

Yes VTOL AKA Harriers have been with us for over 40 years.

Rolls Royce are supplying that element of the F35 as they have the grip on the technology - v complex plays as RR (Allison) in Indiana ust make the bits in US etc., etc.,

(C) Very Seriously Disorganised Criminals 2002/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 - copy anything you wish