MoD To Slash Jet Fighter Orders As It Struggles To Save Aircraft Programme -- The Guardian
• Defence chiefs decide UK cannot afford current plan
• Cost of 140 US-built planes has risen by £25m each
Defence chiefs are preparing drastic cuts to the number of American stealth aircraft planned for the RAF and the Royal Navy's proposed new carriers, the Guardian has learned.
They will be among the first casualties, with existing squadrons of Harrier and Tornado jets, of a huge shift in military spending being considered by ministers, officials and military advisers.
As they head towards their biggest and most painful shakeup since the second world war, a consensus has emerged among the top brass that they can not afford the 140 American Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) they have been seeking.
My Comment: Future program cuts will be even worse if the UK cannot stop the budget catastrophe that it now finds itself in. This is just a prelude of what may be happening on a deeper level within a year or two.