Housing is more expensive in California than many other states, even close to Edwards Air Force Base out in the desert near Palmdale. Base officials finally have won a three-year battle to secure a basic allowance for housing increase. This year, military members who live in the surrounding communities are getting a BAH boost ranging from 22 percent to 35 percent.
It'll take up to 18 months for Lockheed Martin to deliver the 100 or so F-35s that went directly from production line to storage, awaiting the completion of Tech Refresh 3 testing. Customers haven't complained about the order in which the backlog is being delivered.