US to sell F-35 fighter jets to Belgium in
estimated $6.5B deal
BY ELLEN MITCHELL - 01/19/18 05:31 PM
EST
The State Department plans to sell 34 F-35A Joint Strike
Fighter jets to Belgium for a possible $6.53 billion, the department told
Congress on Friday.
The proposed foreign military sale includes the aircraft,
four spare engines and various communication and navigation systems “to provide
Belgium with a credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region
and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces,” according to a Defense Security
Cooperation Agency statement.
The U.S. Air Force already flies the F-35A, which takes
off and lands in the conventional way. The Marine Corps flies the F-35B
vertical takeoff and landing version, while the Navy flies the F-35C carrier
variant.
Several U.S. allies have already bought the F-35,
including Japan, Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Italy and
Turkey, awith several other countries — including Finland, Germany, Switzerland
and Spain — mulling an eventual deal.
The Lockheed Martin's F-35, the most expensive weapons
program in history, is estimated to cost $400 billion for 2,457 planes. Critics
of the jet have called the program a costly boondoggle.
President Trump was among the critics of the program,
tweeting prior to his inauguration that the costs of the program were “out of
control.” He has since pushed NATO allies to purchase the F-35.
Original post: thehill.com
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