Two years after being a no-show at major air shows in England, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is once again on the event schedule and gearing up to make its long-awaited international debut.
Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, says the plane's presence at the Royal International Air Tattoo from July 8-10 in Gloucestershire and at the Farnborough International Air Show from July 11-17 outside London will show the partner countries that the stealthy fifth-generation fighter jet "is real."
"What it's going to do for the European allies is reinforce the idea that we're talking about a real piece of equipment," Gorenc said during a breakfast with defense reporters on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
"We talk about a lot of these platforms in concept," he added. "To actually see it, I think, is an important step in the procurement of that airplane and a reinforcement that what we have is real."
Britain wants to buy nearly 140 of the planes, representing the largest planned international F-35 order.
It's one of eight countries that have committed to help develop the F-35, including the U.K., Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway. Also, Israel, Japan and South Korea plan to buy production models of the aircraft. more
