PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, Md. – The U.S. military is committed to developing the Marine Corps version of the next-generation strike fighter jet, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday, but he warned that the program is “not out of the woods yet.”

Standing in front of an F-35 at the air base where the jets are tested, Panetta said the Pentagon needs “to make sure we’re on the cutting edge” of military technology like that incorporated in the fighter aircraft. He said he based his support for the plane on its developers’ ability to resolve a series of technical problems that some had feared might doom the project.

“This fifth-generation fighter behind me is absolutely vital to maintaining our air superiority,” Panetta said.

The engine for the F-35 is manufactured at the Pratt & Whitney plant in Berwick, Maine, and an official there said he welcomed Panetta’s comments.

“Any news about the F-35 is good news,” said Steve Howe, manager of public relations and communications at the plant.

Howe said about half of the 1,359 employees at the plant are working on the F-35 engines and the other half are building engines for commercial planes.

He said employment is down slightly due to attrition. But he said jobs likely will be added over the next few years as work on the F-35 engines gears up and Pratt & Whitney also produces more of a new commercial engine expected to be in demand because of greater fuel efficiency, fewer emissions and quieter operation.

But it is “hard to project because there’s been so much indecision right now on defense budgets,” Howe said.

Panetta is expected to affirm as early as next week, in previewing the administration’s 2013 defense budget, that the F-35 program remains a top priority.

 

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