Aircraft
Pentagon: Latest Contract Drops F-35A Cost Below $100 Million
President Donald Trump's intervention helped expedite negotiations for the latest F-35 production lot, Lockheed Martin acknowledged.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A is shown at RAF Fairford in the UK after landing there last June. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
A U.S. Air Force F-35A is shown at RAF Fairford in the UK after landing there last June. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and manufacturer Lockheed Martin have reached agreement on a 10th low-rate initial production (LRIP) lot of F-35 fighters, an order that for the first time sets the cost of the A-model variant below $100 million. Recent criticism of the program’s cost by President Donald Trump served to expedite the contract negotiations, Lockheed Martin acknowledged.