This information came from; http://www.jsf.org.uk/

The JSF UK Industry Team is an informal alliance between BAE SYSTEMS, MBDA, Martin-Baker, Rolls-Royce and Smiths Aerospace.

In 1996, the UK began to formally examine options for a Future Carrier Borne Aircraft (FCBA) to succeed the Royal Navy’s (RN) FA-2 Sea Harrier from 2012. In 1998 the Strategic Defence Review White Paper recommended that the RN and RAF Harrier forces be combined into a new Joint Force 2000.

The FCBA requirement was subsequently broadened to include replacement of the RAF’s GR9/GR9A and T10 ground attack Harrier aircraft from around 2015. Reflecting this change the programme was renamed Future Joint Combat Aircraft (FJCA) in 2001, encompassing all the UK’s joint land and sea-borne expeditionary air-power capability requirements. Latterly and colloquially, this has become known simply as the JCA.

JCA thus defines the capability being sought, whilst the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has been identified as having the best potential to provide this capability.

The link to Preston is that the BAE SYSTEMS workshare is based at Warton with Samlesbury being the manufacturing plant.

Further information is available from the JSF website: http://www.jsf.mil/