Negotiations over the next three-year lot of F-35s have gone on six months longer than expected because the government and Lockheed Martin are having a hard time agreeing on common numbers for inflation and because of COVID-related supply chain costs, company officials said. However, with foreign orders, ...
Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office have agreed that F-35 production will peak at 156 jets per year in 2023 and remain at that level "for the foreseeable future." The "re-baselining" of the program is meant to ensure predictability and stability in production.
Due to pandemic-related slowdowns, Lockheed Martin expects to deliver 122 F-35s in calendar year 2020—20 less than planned, company executive vice president for aeronautics Michele A. Evans said in a Sept. 9 interview. The tally will be gradually made up over two years, in order ...