Pentagon finalizes $7.8 billion in F-35 contracts with Lockheed

[unhappycamper]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/27/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSBRE98Q18720130927



Pentagon finalizes $7.8 billion in F-35 contracts with Lockheed
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
WASHINGTON | Fri Sep 27, 2013 7:02pm EDT

(Reuters) - The Pentagon on Friday said it had finalized two contracts with Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) valued at $7.8 billion for 71 more F-35 fighter jets, citing what it called significant reductions in the cost of the new radar-evading warplane.

The U.S. Defense Department said it signed a $4.4 billion contract for a sixth batch of 36 F-35 aircraft, with the average cost of the planes down 2.5 percent from the previous deal. All but $743 million of that amount had already been awarded to the company under a preliminary contract.

The two sides also signed a $3.4 billion contract for 35 aircraft in a seventh batch, which reflected a 6 percent drop in the average price from the fifth group, it said in a statement.

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 the seventh batch of jets, excluding the engine, from $103 million in the sixth lot. It marks the first time the price of the jet will have dipped below $100 million.



unhappycamper comment: This camper maintains that this pig costs around $243,000,000, but I do not know if the $250 grand helmet is included (after it's fixed).

[Fantastic Anarchist]

1. Awesome!

That's a lot of mouths to not feed!

[snappyturtle]

2. I see. No austerity for the DOD......but SNAP OTOH.............nt

[Turbineguy]

3. The income tax burden of 20,000

average income American families for one year per plane. Not including the engine. The engine is an optional extra. It's not only radar evading, it also evades reality.

We'll now have to develop a radar to detect these planes which we will then export to make these planes obsolete.