U.S. Navy to order 33 fewer F-35s than planned in next 5 yrs -source

[unhappycamper]

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/thomson-reuters/140303/us-navy-order-33-fewer-f-35s-planned-next-5-yrs-source

U.S. Navy to order 33 fewer F-35s than planned in next 5 yrs -source
By Andrea Shalal
March 3, 2014 11:02 March 3, 2014 11:02

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is set to order 33 fewer Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets than originally planned over the five years starting in fiscal 2015 due to budgetary pressures, a defense official said Monday.

In a move that will sharply slow work on the F-35 model built to land on aircraft carriers, the Navy will ask Congress to fund 36 F-35Cs instead of 69, said the official, who could not speak publicly ahead of Tuesday's release of the 2015 budget request.

The Air Force is also deferring orders for four conventional landing F-35 A-models in fiscal 2015, but is expected to resume its planned orders for the jet in 2016 and beyond, said a second source familiar with the plans. It plans to order 238 in total

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Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale told a conference last week that the department's decision to buy eight fewer F-35s in fiscal 2015 was based on affordability, not the aircraft's performance. Defense officials say they remain committed to the program, and still plan to buy a total of 2,443 F-35s over the coming years for all three military services.