The US Air Force (USAF) has cut three F-35 jet fighters from its next contract with Lockheed Martin, Pentagon F-35 spokesman Joe DellaVedova revealed.
The decision to reduce the number of aircraft is to help fund cost overruns associated with retrofits on the first three orders after the Senate Armed Services Committee denied $264m in funding.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The original order was for a total of 34 jets for the USAF and Navy and the latest cut, including one from the navy, brings the order down to 30 aircraft.
The first 28 aircraft are estimated to cost $918m, of which $283m will be paid by Lockheed and engine subcontractor Pratt & Whitney, while the remaining $635m will be paid by the government.
Bloomberg reported that the value of the four deleted aircraft was not disclosed.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
