UPDATE 1-Lockheed says focused on keeping F-35 affordable

Lockheed sees average F-35 price at $60 mln

UPDATE 1-Lockheed says focused on keeping F-35 affordable
Thu Dec 2, 2010 3:41pm EST
By Andrea Shalal-Esa

NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) officials said on Thursday they shared Pentagon concerns about cost increases and testing delays that have plagued the development of the F-35 fighter, but said they were making changes to ensure the new fighter remained affordable.

"We do believe that we're on a path to achieve the affordable product that's expected," Ralph Heath, executive vice president of Lockheed's aeronautics division told a conference hosted by Credit Suisse and Aviation Week.

Heath acknowledged concerns raised by the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, Ashton Carter, who told the same conference on Wednesday that he was unhappy with the state of the program and was pressing for more work to cut costs.

The Pentagon this year already restructured the $382 billion fighter program, adding 13 months to the development phase, but a comprehensive review is pointing to a further possible delay of up to three years and added costs of up to $5 billion, sources familiar with the program said last month.

Marine Corps General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday that officials were considering whether it whether it would still be economical to build a short takeoff version of the F-35 for the Marine Corps now that Britain had decided to buy a different variant.



unhappycamper comment: So Lockheed is planning to build the F-35 for $60 million Dollars?

Let's put this into some perspective:

The F-35s now being built cost around $243 million a pop.
The 187 F-22s we have cost $355 million a pop.
The MV-22 Osprey costs around $100 million dollars a pop.
Current generation F/A-18s cost around $86 million dollars a pop.

Who's zooming who?

Sigh.