David Reid
The Pentagon is reportedly set to take greater control of cost-cutting efforts to the F-35 combat jet program.
Dubbed the world's most expensive weapon, the price of developing the F-35 has risen to an estimated $406.5 billion, according to July data.
A contractor-led effort, spearheaded by principal manufacturer Lockheed Martin, has been deemed too slow to deliver savings.
Now, according to a Wall Street Journal report, the Donald Trump administration wants smaller suppliers to be placed under more scrutiny and has pushed the Pentagon to take greater control.
"Using a contract vehicle instead of an agreement with industry provides the government with greater insights into the cost savings efforts," said a spokesperson for the Trump administration's F-35 program office.
The U.S. government has granted Lockheed a further $60 million to pursue savings, with a quarter of the cash to be spent on F35-related projects outside of main contracts agreed with BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin itself.
The last sale from Lockheed Martin priced each F-35A jet to the Pentagon at $94.6 million each, but President Trump has since said that price is too high.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/09/f35-cost-pentagon-to-take-control-of-huge-jet-bill.html
