U.S. Navy committed to F-35 despite talks about more F/A-18 buys

[unhappycamper]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/19/us-airshow-dubai-navy-fighters-idUSBRE9AI18B20131119


U.S. Navy committed to F-35 despite talks about more F/A-18 buys
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
DUBAI Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:48pm EST

(Reuters) - The U.S. Navy remains committed to the Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, but is also looking at options to buy additional Boeing Co (BA.N) F/A-18 fighter jets, a senior U.S. Navy official said on Tuesday.

Richard Gilpin, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for air programs, told Reuters at the Dubai Airshow that the Navy's current plans still called for purchases of the Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18G electronic attack planes to end in fiscal 2014.

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Questions arose about the Navy's F-35 program last month after it erroneously posted a notice on a federal procurement website about a possible order of up to 36 more F/A-18 fighters or EA-18G electronic attack planes in fiscal 2015.

The Navy has also mapped out plans for a two-year halt in procurement of the F-35 C-model if U.S. lawmakers fail to reverse tough mandatory cuts in military spending - a move seen by some industry executives as a sign of the Navy's lukewarm support of the multi-service F-35 fighter program.