Lockheed welcomes Norway backing of F-35 fighter

Lockheed Martin Corp on Friday welcomed news that Norway planned to increase its order for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets by four planes, and was considering pulling forward the delivery of two initial training jets by one year to 2015. Lockheed said the move showed the Norwegian government's "trust and confidence" in the F-35 program, and pledged to work closely with the Norwegian government to accommodate and implement its revamped plans.
Lockheed is developing three variants of the radar-evading new fighter for the US military and the eight partner countries that are helping fund its development: Britain, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Turkey, Australia and the Netherlands. The US Defence Department in February announced plans to postponed orders for 179 F-35 jets to save $15.1 billion over the next five years and allow more time for testing before production ramps up on the $382 billion program. The US move, part of a Pentagon drive to cut spending by $487 billion over the next decade, and budget pressure overseas have prompted some countries to rethink their own orders. Italy, for instance, cut its order by 41 planes to 90.