UK says close to placing order for F-35 jets

Britain is close to placing its first order for Lockheed Martin-built (LMT) F-35 super-stealth jets, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said on Saturday. Reuters cited sources last week as saying that Britain was likely to announce an order soon for 14 of the advanced jets, marking Britain's first firm F-35 purchase since it committed to buying 48 planes in 2012. "We will have to place a firm order very soon in order to have the first squadron ready to start flying training off the 'Queen Elizabeth' in 2018, which is our current plan," he said in an interview with Reuters Television during the Munich Security Conference. The Queen Elizabeth is one of two British aircraft carriers currently under construction.

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