Aircraft
Pentagon Revises Down Estimated Cost of F-35 Fighter
The Department of Defense lowered its projected cost of procuring the F-35 by $7.5 billion due to reduced labor costs and inflation estimates.
The Lot 8 average price of an F-35A is $108 million according to the Joint Program Office. (Photo: Department of Defense)
The Lot 8 average price of an F-35A is $108 million according to the Joint Program Office. (Photo: Department of Defense)

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) lowered its projected cost of procuring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by $7.5 billion or about 2 percent, to $391.1 billion, citing reduced labor costs and revised inflation estimates. In one of a series of selective acquisition reports (SAR) it released on March 19, the Pentagon pegged the total cost of the F-35 program, including operating and support (O&S) costs through 2065, at $1.4 trillion.