The Pentagon on Friday awarded Lockheed Martin and the F-35 team two contracts worth about US$7 billion, for 71 more F-35 fighter jets. For the US Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and the air forces of Norway, Italy, Australia, and the UK, according to the Defense Update news site.
The Pentagon’s F-35 program office said the cost of each F-35 conventional takeoff A-model jet would drop to $98 million in LRIP 7, excluding the engine, from $103 million in LRIP 6. It marks the first time the price of the jet will have dipped below $100 million. The U.S. government buys the engines directly from Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp., under a separate contract. Lockheed and the Pentagon announced an agreement in principle for the next 71 jets on July 30.
Full story here:
http://defense-update.com/20130930_pentagon-awards-f-35-orders-under-lrip6-and-7.html
But as Al Williams, former ADM Materiel pointed out……there is also this…….”Note the $98 million excludes the cost of the engine (approximately $15 million). Therefore total is $113 million.” Headline has been changed.
