US, Lockheed Martin Reach 'Handshake' Deal to Cut F-35 Cost by Nearly 9 Percent - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Defence Department and Lockheed Martin reached an agreement to reduce the cost of a single F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by almost nine percent to less than $80 million per aircraft, US Under Secretary for Defence and Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord said in a statement.
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"I am proud to state that this agreement has achieved an estimated 8.8 percent savings from Lot 11 to Lot 12 F-35As," Lord said in a statement as quoted by the Washington Examiner on Monday. "This framework estimates the delivery of an F-35A for less than $80 million in Lot 13, one year earlier than planned."

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The $34 billion package will cover up to 478 aircraft, the report added.

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Earlier this year, the Project on Government Oversight watchdog complained that the US Navy's F-35 fleet was nowhere near normal operational status, saying the planes were unprepared "to face current or future threats" and potentially dangerous for the personnel operating them.

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