Pentagon OKs Lockheed Warplane Move

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon (news - web sites)'s top weapons buyer on Thursday cleared Lockheed Martin Corp.'s (NYSE:LMT - news) continued development of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the biggest warplane project ever and one valued at more than $245 billion, the Defense Department said.


Michael Wynne, the Pentagon's acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition, approved the project's "path forward" and a slimmed-down variant, according to a synopsis of his decisions.


The go-ahead clears the way to shoot for first developmental flight testing of the conventional model in the third quarter of 2006, said Kathy Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon's F-35 program office.


The Pentagon aims to develop and build more than 5,000 F-35 aircraft by 2027, with some 2,400 to be used by the U.S. military at an estimated cost of at least $245 billion. At least 2,500 are expected to be sold overseas.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1895&e=7&u=/nm/20041104/bs_nm/arms_lockheed_fighter_dc

[Billy Burnett]

1. There's an empire to build, damn it!

:crazy:

[BJ]

2. Oh, jeeze, that'll be effective in "The War on Terrorism"

And, hey, what about the new attack submarine? I hear Bin Laden's planning a sneek attack up the Hudson River.

[AZCat]

3. Yes, it will!

Haven't you heard? They've started bombing blue states already.

That sub will work great on those stinkin' librul harbor cities!


</sarcasm>