JSF decision 'flawed'
The Ministry of Defence made a "rushed and flawed" decision to switch fighter aircraft for the Royal Navy's next generation of aircraft carriers, the Defence Committee has claimed.
In a critical report, the committee said the 2010 decision to opt for the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter over the jump jet version had been a mistake. Ministers claimed the choice, which was reversed last year, had been "right at the time".
Committee chair James Arbuthnot set out his concerns about the decision this morning.
He told the Today programme: "It was a bit of a shambles. It was a decision that was taken at great speed, without proper consultation with industry and without the Ministry of Defence understanding what it was going to cost... and it's not the way the Ministry of Defence should be making decisions."