U.K. to Cut F-35s on Carrier, Put Helicopters on Other
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Prime Minister David Cameron will say today that the U.K. will order fewer, cheaper planes for one new aircraft carrier and station only helicopters on another to cut costs, two people familiar with the plans said.
Announcing the results of a defense review to lawmakers in London, Cameron will say one ship, HMS Prince of Wales, due to enter service in 2019, will be redesigned with a catapult and arrester-wire system, the people said. That will enable it to take carrier-variant Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, rather than a more expensive version that can take off over a shorter distance and land vertically.