As Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest manufacturer for the defense
industry, edges closer to launching the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter,
experts are predicting international buyers will outpace the United
States and Pentagon in sales as early as 2014.
The increasing demand from international buyers comes in the wake of growing concerns of defense cuts, as the Department of Defense prepares for a possible $1 trillion to be slashed from the budget in January.
“The DOD, based on statistical environment issues, has not said… they’re not buying as many as they had in the program of record a few years ago,” said Robert Rubino, program director of the F-35 program in Lockheed’s Washington, D.C., office.
Sales of the planes remained fairly steady between 2010 and 2012, but by late 2013, the number of planes purchased by international buyers takes over the number of planes purchased by the Pentagon.
“As we maintain this partnership with our international partners, it’s important that we all work together to keep this profile,” Rubino said.
The F-35 is not scheduled to be completed until 2016, but countries across the Middle East and Asia have already signed contracts with the company.
So far, ten countries have purchased the jets, including Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel and Japan.
The increasing demand from international buyers comes in the wake of growing concerns of defense cuts, as the Department of Defense prepares for a possible $1 trillion to be slashed from the budget in January.
“The DOD, based on statistical environment issues, has not said… they’re not buying as many as they had in the program of record a few years ago,” said Robert Rubino, program director of the F-35 program in Lockheed’s Washington, D.C., office.
Sales of the planes remained fairly steady between 2010 and 2012, but by late 2013, the number of planes purchased by international buyers takes over the number of planes purchased by the Pentagon.
“As we maintain this partnership with our international partners, it’s important that we all work together to keep this profile,” Rubino said.
The F-35 is not scheduled to be completed until 2016, but countries across the Middle East and Asia have already signed contracts with the company.
So far, ten countries have purchased the jets, including Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel and Japan.
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