Aircraft
Lower-cost F-35s In Prospect As Deal Nears On Next Production Lots
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Department of Defense reached an agreement in principle to fund the next two production lots of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Production of the F-35 is becoming more affordable, according to Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer, inset. (Photos: Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force)
Production of the F-35 is becoming more affordable, according to Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer, inset. (Photos: Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force)

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reached an agreement in principle to fund the next two low-rate initial production (LRIP) lots of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, comprising 71 aircraft. The company and DOD jointly announced the “handshake agreement” on July 30 in advance of signing the LRIP contracts, which will provide consecutive, 4-percent reductions in the unit cost of U.S. military variants, they said. The parties said they will release cost details when the contracts are finalized.