The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.27 billion not-to-exceed undefinitized modification to a previously awarded F-35 low-rate initial production contract, according to a contract announcement. The modification will provide for the delivery of three F-35As for the Air Force, six F-35Bs for the Marine Corps, and four F-35Cs for the Navy, the announcement states. Work is expected to be finished by December 2019. The contract modification provides for aircraft added in the Fiscal 2016 budget deliberations process, and combines F-35 buys for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.