. Military Space News .
AEROSPACE
Lockheed trims costs for F-35, most expensive plane ever
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Feb 3, 2017


Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon on Friday said the next batch of F-35 stealth fighters, the most expensive planes in history, will be produced at a reduced cost.

They announced $728 million in savings after President Donald Trump publically upbraided Lockheed over "out of control" costs, although most of the savings were already planned ahead of his involvement, during a months-long contract negotiation.

The next production run of 90 F-35s will see the Air Force version of the plane, the F-35A, produced at a unit cost of $94.6 million, marking a 7.3 percent reduction from an earlier batch and pushing the price per plane below $100 million for the first time.

"President Trump's personal involvement in the F-35 program accelerated the negotiations and sharpened our focus on driving down the price," Lockheed said in a statement.

"The agreement was reached in a matter of weeks and represents significant savings over previous contracts."

With a current development and acquisition price tag already at $379 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft -- most destined for the Air Force -- the F-35 is the most expensive plane in history, and costs are set to go higher still.

Once servicing and maintenance costs for the F-35 are factored in over the aircraft's lifespan through 2070, overall program costs are expected to rise to $1.5 trillion.

Pentagon F-35 program head Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan said the agreement was a "good and fair deal for the taxpayers, the US government, allies and industry."

The F-35 is also produced in versions for the Marine Corps and Navy.

The Marine model, the F-35B, will now be produced at a unit cost of $122.8 million, a 6.7 percent reduction.

The Navy's F-35C will cost $121.8 million, down 7.9 percent.

Lockheed also said the deal would create 1,800 new jobs at its factory in Fort Worth, Texas.

Production costs often trend downward on large military orders as economies of scale and other factors kick in.

Proponents tout the F-35's radar-dodging stealth technology, supersonic speeds, close air-support capabilities, airborne agility and a massive array of sensors giving pilots unparalleled access to information.

But the program has faced numerous setbacks, including a mysterious engine fire in 2014 that led commanders to ground planes until the problem could be resolved.


Comment on this article using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com






Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
AEROSPACE
America's 6th Generation Fighter Jets of the Future
Trento, Italy (SPX) Feb 06, 2017
America's 6th generation fighter jets will probably be the real game changer over its predecessor, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), that in spite of repeated setbacks (often referred to as a "nightmare" with its unsavory "bug" list) stands as a strong portend for offensive and defensive platforms. Just a handful of countries have 6th generation fighter jet concepts. Fighters jets, just ... read more


AEROSPACE
New US Missile Hits Target in Space

New Age, New Aims: CIS Air Defense to Be Upgraded for Aerospace Tasks

Raytheon contracted for Patriot missile support

Lockheed Martin to perform additional THAAD development

AEROSPACE
Russian Baltic Fleet Carries Out Air Defense Drills Using S-400 Systems

Norwegian army acquiring new air defense missile system

China to sell new AR-2 missile to foreign countries

China tests its new super-accurate missile during war games

AEROSPACE
DARPA demonstrates SideArm UAS capture system

U.S. Army orders counter-drone systems

Schiebel to supply S-100 UAV for Australian navy

SideArm prototype catches full-size unmanned aerial system flying at full speed

AEROSPACE
IAI secures $30 million in signals intelligence contracts

Terahertz wireless could make spaceborne satellite links as fast as fiber-optic links

Airbus provides satcom for EU security missions in Mali, Niger and Somalia

Engie, Airbus tapped to support French defense networks

AEROSPACE
Australia awards competitive ammunition load carrier contracts

Army Reserve units getting CROWS gun turrets

U.S. Army spotlights innovative ZH2 vehicle

Austria orders Pandur 6x6 armored personnel carriers

AEROSPACE
Tales of woe from US military ahead of likely spending boost

US military leaders depict shortfalls ahead of likely spending bonanza

Russia to sell off stake in gun-maker Kalashnikov

US defense chief begins Trump's plans to grow Pentagon

AEROSPACE
Trump tells Turkish, Spanish leaders he backs NATO

China says both sides will lose from conflict with US

Moldova president warns NATO over closer ties

German troops bulk up NATO-led force in Lithuania

AEROSPACE
Supercomputing, experiment combine for first look at magnetism of real nanoparticle

Scientists determine precise 3-D location 23,000 atoms in a nanoparticle

1,000 times more efficient nano-LED opens door to faster microchips

Three magnetic states for each hole









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.