The procurement process for Joint Combat Aircraft remains at a very early stage. We have not taken the final investment decision and at this stage cannot confirm overall numbers or the in-service date. On 18 March 2009, Official Report, column 54WS the then Secretary of State for Defence announced the purchase of the first three Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. This will enable the UK to conduct, along side the US, a joint Initial Operational Test and Evaluation programme, the results of which will inform our decision of the required size of the overall fleet. The cost of an individual JSF aircraft will depend upon how many we, and other nations, buy and when we place the order.