The US are still insisting on Lockheed maintaining the Joint Strike Fighter which is considered to be unacceptable by the RN. I'm told that the French Rafaele is being considered as an alternative, especially as France seems keen to build a similar carrier to ours following the rather lacklustre performance of Charles de Gaulle.
Hi Colin
Locheed were never going to maitnain them Colin. The problem was that if britain wanted to adapt/alter the aircraft they had to get the permision of the US and it had to be done by the US. this has now been Ironed out and britain will be allowed to upgrade as they like with out
getting the US to agree. The RAF will now be getting these aircraft
The problem for the aircraft for the carriers is the french.
the design is for three carriers 2 brittish 1 french. the naval JSF aircraft destined for carrier use will be used like the Aegis system on the
US warships both the ship and aircraft systems completly intregrated and each can be accessed from the other. This means that if a pilot is on a mission to attack a target then a priority mission comes in the ship can automaticaly upload them new mission including maps/ attack runs etc with out the pilot having to get to bogged down trying to re-calculate the new mission it will already be done for them, the weapons can even be fired back at the ship like a UAV. The US do not want any chance of the french getting their hands on this technology incase they sell to the highest bidder (not like them) until this is sorted then the back up is to navalise the Typhoon.
I would be very surprised if the bought the french rafale. After all it was mostly design by us when france were a part of the euro fighter project then pulled out taking all the designs and info with them and then they produced the Rafale.
Colin