Fighter F-35 has become cheaper

The US Department of Defense has changed the terms of the contract with Lockheed Martin, which implies the supply of X-NUMX F-30 Lightning II fighters, reports Lenta.ru. Under the terms of the new agreement, the military must get the F-35 fighter 31 for 35 billion dollars. The previous terms of the contract stipulated payments for aircraft in the amount of five billion dollars.

The new contract involves the delivery of ten US Air Force F-35A fighters, 16 F-35B - Marines and four F-35C - Navy. Another F-35B will be supplied to the UK Department of Defense. The contract also provides an option for the supply of additional aircraft to the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands. After making changes to the terms of the contract, the volume of orders for F-35 small-scale production increased to 64 units.

The cost of one aircraft under the new agreement amounted to 112,9 million dollars. Recall that in March 2010, the Pentagon estimated the cost of one aircraft in 113 million dollars. The contract involves not only the supply of aircraft, but also their maintenance. With additional services, the transaction amount is estimated at 3,9 billion dollars.

The program to create F-35 is the most expensive project in the USA - the cost of the program is 382,4 billion dollars. At the same time, the creation of the aircraft is four years behind the original schedule. The US Department of Defense intends to request compensation from Lockheed Martin in the amount of 614 million dollars for the backlog of development.