Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — The Joint Strike Fighter, designed as a low-budget
fighter-jet, has now exceeded $150 million per unit.

Britain, a leading partner in the JSF program, reported that the F-35
cost more than $150 million. British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said
the rising cost could hamper his government’s procurement plans.

“It’s [procurement] dependent on politics, money and the state of the
world, but it’s also dependent on what is not yet clearly known, what the
mix between manned fighter jets and unmanned aircraft is going to be,”
Hammond said.

In an interview with Britain’s Sky News, Hammond said the government of Prime Minister David Cameron was ordering 48 JSF aircraft. The defense minister said each of the platforms would cost 100 British pounds, or $156 million.

Hammond’s report of the cost of the JSF was relayed after his meeting
with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on May 2 in Washington. This marked the first time that a senior Western official cited the cost of JSF, which was originally priced at $60 million.

So far, neither the U.S. government nor prime contractor Lockheed Martin
has released a price for the F-35. Officials cited the lack of firm orders
by both the United States and other partners of the program.

Israel has been one of the only countries to actually order JSF. Most of
the NATO states, including Turkey, have delayed signing deals amid
difficulties in the program.

  Brits balk at $150 million price tag on Joint Strike Fighter, Chuck Hagel, David Cameron, Lockheed Martin, Philip Hammond