ABS CBN News:
FARNBOROUGH, England – Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet is arriving in growing numbers in Europe, and is poised to play a much broader role in missile defense and other warfare plans than conventional fighters, according to U.S. and European officials.
After years of technical challenges and program delays, the F-35, the world’s most expensive arms program, is rapidly gaining a foothold in the United States and Europe.
The new warplane’s high-end sensors will give it a bigger role across all domains of war than previous fighter planes, including in missile defense, said General Tod Wolters, the top commander of U.S. and NATO air forces in Europe.
Norway, Britain and Italy will have received 40 F-35s in Europe by the end of the year, with the first Dutch jets to arrive next year, and the first U.S. jets in fiscal year 2021.
