Defense giant Lockheed Martin has agreed to sell 90 new F-35 fighter jets to the US Defense Department for $8.5 billion — a deal that amounts to more than $700 million in savings over the last batch of aircraft delivered.
Lockheed Martin credited President Donald Trump for helping to “accelerate negotiations” and “drive down the price” of what is already the most expensive weapons program in history.
The cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program found itself in Trump’s crosshairs on several occasions in recent weeks and Trump called for a review of whether a modified version of the older F/A-18 aircraft could replace the Navy’s costly F-35 variant.
Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson gave then-President-elect Trump her “personal commitment” to cut the cost of the stealthy F-35 fighter jet after Trump posted a tweet criticizing the program and newly confirmed Defense Secretary James Mattis ordered the Pentagon to conduct a review of the $400 billion program last week.
Once official, the deal in principle would mark the first time that costs for any of the three versions of the fifth generation fighter jet will have dipped below $100 million per plane.
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5 Responses
Hmm $700m? Sounds like that was a little too easy
what has any President done to get the prices done except President Trump. President Trump means business
I wouldn’t be surprised that President Trump will have siyatta Dishmaya and be able to decrease the over 20 Trillion dollars of national debt that Obama left, an increase of 9.4 trillion dollars since he came to office.
400 billion minus 700 000 000 = 399,300,000,000.00
if 400 billion was a problem, whats so major about 399 billion?
The key portion of this story is that Lockheed Martin praised President Always-Needs-Flattery for driving down the price of Lockheed’s product.
Whenever a car salesman tells me I have made a great deal I know I have not made a great deal.