F-35 Looks to the Future
by David Donald
- June 17, 2019, 6:56 AM
With more than 400 delivered to Israel, the U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps, the Lockheed Martin F-35 is now proving its worth in the operational environment, especially as its data-gathering and networking abilities transform tactical operations. That’s the message from Lockheed Martin and its customers as the F-35 production effort continues to accelerate and flyaway costs tumble.
A recent deal concluded over Lot 12/13/14 production has seen the cost of an F-35 decrease by 15 percent compared with Lot 11, and a sub-$80 million jet should be achieved later during 2019, a year earlier than planned. F-35 stakeholders are now focusing on driving down operating costs, aiming for the “25 by 25â€â€”$25,000 per flying hour by 2025 (see Paris Airshow News, Day 2, page 20).
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-06-17/f-35-looks-future
