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NATO partners buying
the F-35 want the Air Force to pick up the development tab to make the aircraft
nuclear capable, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told the House Armed Services
Committee Friday. In response to questions from Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Welsh
said the Air Force has “committed to making the F-35 dual-capable;” i.e., able
to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. “There is discussion ongoing”
with NATO F-35 customers, who “don’t believe they can afford to do that with
their own [F-35s] without our support,” he added. These countries are
“responsible for paying the cost to integrate capability on their aircraft,”
however, he said. Larsen wanted to know what USAF will do if NATO partners
don’t replace their nuclear-capable aircraft in the 2020s and beyond. Welsh
said the cost is “not insignificant,” but if some can’t afford it, “the other
NATO nations that have those capabilities . . . will pick up the load.” Talks
are underway, and “we do have the capacity to pick up the load,” Welsh
reported. USAF requested $15.6 million in the Fiscal 2015 budget to refine F-35
dual-capable requirements. By 2024, the Block 4B aircraft is supposed to be
capable of carrying two B61 nuclear shapes internally, according to budget
documents. The B61 is also being modernized and given a life extension
modification.
