REarning plane that the F-35 Lightning II. Furtive hunter with undeniable technical qualities – at least as much as the Rafale -, he was a huge success for export, sold at around 1,130 copies in around twenty countries around the world, since its launch in 2015 (the Rafale, meanwhile, still displays 507 copies sold). But the plane manufactured by the American company Lockheed is about to become a new collateral victim of the commercial policy of Donald Trump, reports the Wall Street Journalin an article published this Monday, May 5.
Indeed, for the various components of its F-35, Lockheed is based on more than 1,900 suppliers distributed in a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, Germany, Italy, Canada, Norway and the Netherlands. Thus, the wings are manufactured by Italian Leonardo, and the siege ejectable by the British Martin-Baker. During its first decade of existence, the absence of prohibitive customs tariffs between Western countries favored the industrial model on which the F-35 is built.
Astronomical additional costs
Finished ! The increase of 100 % of customs prices promised by Donald Trump to Western countries, including those of suppliers, risks considerably weighing down the production costs of Lockheed and other American companies involved in the construction of the F-35. Thus, the RTX group, of which the American subsidiary Pratt & Whitney manufactures the engines of the F-35-engines, which embark components produced abroad-, expects to undergo a loss of $ 850 million due to customs prices this year, said its director general Christopher Calio, during the presentation of quarterly results.
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Lockheed, for its part, claims to have implemented a strategy to mitigate the consequences of customs duties, and affirms that the cost increase will be the responsibility, for a large part, of the countries which buy its planes. In addition, Lockheed said in the immediate future of a stock of components sufficient not to be worried by an increase in short -term costs. For the moment, Donald Trump has left a 90 -day respite to all the countries concerned except China. But then?
The F-35 is not the only weapon made in the United States for which this problem arises. Some members of the Congress claimed a defense -related price exemption. “We need appropriate derogations” at customs tariffs decided by President Trump, said Northern Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer, member of the House Armed Forces Commission, and whose Wall Street Journal reports the comments. Otherwise, “the F-35 would really become more expensive,” warned the Republican senator. Not ideal for many European countries whose fleets are equipped with it.
