ISLAMABAD – The Pentagon signed a $34 billion agreement with planemakerLockheed Martin on Tuesday to procure 478 more F-35 Lightning II stealthaircraft for both the US and foreign militaries. An infamously expensiveprogram, some of the F-35s will be bought at the cheapest prices yetreached, passing below $80 million per unit for the first time.
The deal will cover three deliveries of Low Rate Initial Productionbatches, called lots 12, 13 and 14, each batch cheaper than the last, andincluding all three varieties of the stealthy strike jet. At a TuesdayPentagon press briefinglink,Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lordsaid the average price drop would be 12.7%.
“We will reach a unit-recurring flyaway-cost-per-aircraft target of $80million for a US Air Force F-35A price by Lot 13, which is one lot earlierthan planned, a significant milestone for the department,” Lord said.However, prices for the B and C variants remain higher: while the thirdbatch of F-35As is expected to cost $77.9 million each, the F-35Bs in Lot14 will cost $101.3 million each, with the F-35Cs costing $94.4 millioneach, according to Lockheed figures cited by Defense Newslink.
Of the planes, 291 will be for the US service branches, and 127 will go tointernational partners who’ve contributed to the F-35 program, with thefinal 60 being set aside for foreign military sale customers.
That’s a big number, considering Lockheed only deliveredlink the 400th F-35 in June, Sputnik hhas reported.
Read Top Stories
The F-35A, which flies from standard airfields, is the Air Force variantand also the primary export model, used by countries including Japan, theNetherlands and Norway. The others are more specialized: the F-35B, in useby the US Marine Corps and a handful of countries like the UK, has arotating thrust nozzle to facilitate short or vertical takeoffs andlandings. The F-35C is only used by the US Navy and has larger wings, atailhook and a reinforced undercarriage to help the plane survive catapultlaunches and arrested landings on aircraft carriers.
The price tag makes the F-35, once judged at $150 million per aircraft,more competitive with existing mainstays like the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet,which has an off-the-shelf pricelink of $70.5 million.
