BLUF
The US Defense Department has agreed with Lockheed Martin to build about 375 F-35 fighter jets over three years.Summary
This article by Mike Stone, writing for Reuters, makes the following points:
- The ‘handshake’ deal is a starting point for finalizing contract pricing and will not be locked in for several weeks, if not months.
- However, the deal is believed to be worth about $30 billion.
- The first F-35A cost $221 million when it came off the production line in 2007.
- Since then, various factors have helped the price of the fighter fall to $79 million each.
- A spokesman from the F-35 US Joint Program Office said the F-35 was one of the most lethal and interoperable capabilities in the Defense Department’s inventory.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
F-35 01: COLLECTION | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
References from the Web:
- JUL 2022 Pentagon and Lockheed Reach Agreement to Build 375 F-35As—The Defense Post
- JUL 2022 Pentagon and Lockheed reach handshake deal for 375 more F-35s, but no price set—Breaking Defense
Source Information:
- Article Source: Reuters
- Media Check: Reuters - Media Bias Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
- RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC |
