Cost Cutting Plan for F-35 Fighter Jet Extended for 2 Years - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Budget saving steps that have already trimmed $1 million from the estimated $100 million purchase price of a single F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been extended for an additional two years in an attempt to contain costs of the most expensive military weapons program in history, the US Department of Defense announced in a press release on Monday.

"The Pentagon's F-35 program office is working closely with industry to drive down the cost of the jets — now running just over $100 million per jet — to around $85 million by 2019," the release explained.

The US military plans to spend $379 billion in coming decades to purchase nearly 2,500 F-35 warplanes, making the weapons program the costliest ever, the release noted.

The US military has said it hopes brisk international sales of the advanced fighter will follow.

Cost savings are being sought by improved tooling, automation with robotics and more efficient assembly procedures, the release said.

The fighter jet has undergone a number of setbacks throughout its development. It has been beset by technical problems and cost overruns, pushing its expected total project cost to some $1.5 trillion.