JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM.

SEC. 213. JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM. (a) Report.—Not later than February 15, 1998, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the options for the sequence in which the variants of the joint strike fighter are to be produced and fielded. (b) Content of Report.—The report shall contain the following:111 STAT. 1659 (1) A review of the plan for production under the Joint Strike Fighter Program that was used by the Department of Defense for developing the funding estimates for the fiscal year 1999 budget request for the Department of Defense. (2) An estimate of the costs, and an analysis of the costs and benefits, of producing the joint strike fighter variants in a sequence that provides for fielding of the naval variant of the aircraft first. (3) A comparison of the costs and benefits of the various options for the sequence for fielding the variants of the joint strike fighter that the Secretary of Defense considers likely to be the options from among which a sequence for fielding is selected, including a discussion of the effects that selection of each such option would have on the costs and rates of production of the units of F/A–18E/F and F–22 aircraft that are in production when the Joint Strike Fighter Program proceeds into production. (4) A certification that the Joint Strike Fighter Program contains sufficient funding to carry out an alternate engine development program that includes flight qualification of an alternate engine in a joint strike fighter airframe. (c) Limitation on Use of Funds Pending Submission of Report.—Not more than 90 percent of the total amount authorized to be appropriated under this Act for the Joint Strike Fighter Program may be obligated until the date that is 30 days after the date on which the congressional defense committees receive the report required under this section. (d) Fiscal Year 1998 Budget Defined.—In this section, the term “fiscal year 1999 budget request for the Department of Defense” means the budget estimates for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 1999 that were submitted to Congress by the Secretary of Defense in connection with the submission of the budget for fiscal year 1998 to Congress under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code.