Negotiations on Joint Strike Fighter Extended

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The economic affairs ministry has extended negotiations it is conducting with the Dutch defence industry on their contribution from sales achieved from the participation in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Economic Affairs Minister Maria van der Hoeven wants the defence industry to pay her 10.3 percent of their JSF turnover. The industry however does not want to contribute anything at all. Negotiations are currently underway on the definitive size of industry's contribution.

The talks were to have been concluded at end-August. An economic affairs ministry spokeswoman has confirmed that this has been extended to mid-September.

The government decided in 2002 to contribute to the financing of the US fighter aircraft JSF. This was intended to generate contracts for Dutch industry. At the time, it was already established that industry would have to contribute a still-to-be-fixed percentage from the JSF orders.

NIFARP (Netherlands Industrial Fighter Aircraft Replacement Platform—Ed.), the organisation of the companies with JSF orders, is supported by Lockheed Martin in its plea for a lower contribution. The US builder of the JSF has warned that a high contribution could endanger the JSF orders. Given inadequate margins for the industry, the execution of the orders would become too uncertain for the US government.

According to De Telegraaf, Lockheed Martin has meanwhile tried to bring the Party for Freedom (PVV) round to express its support for the purchasing of JSFs by the Netherlands. The newspaper says company chief Tom Burbage had a private briefing with PVV leader Geert Wilders in The Hague on Tuesday. "After other MPs were informed about the latest state of affairs in a joint meeting in the morning, Wilders received special treatment in the afternoon along with his MP Hero Brinkman."

The PVV has a key role in the debate on the replacement of the F-16 fleet. Like Labour (PvdA), the PVV has not yet taken a position. "If they are both in favour, it will be the JSF. If they are both against, it will not be the JSF," according to De Telegraaf.

The private briefing coincided with the presentation of a competitor of the JSF, the Gripen Next Generation. This plane, from Swedish producer Saab, was presented in The Hague at the request of the PvdA to explain why Saab believes the Gripen would be a better choice than the JSF.

Dassault and Eurofighter were also asked to show their planes again, but both stayed away because they apparently do not believe that the Netherlands will depart from its choice of the JSF.