Pentagon pledges to buy 850 F-35 jets under 10-year deal with Lockheed Martin

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Pentagon has moved to purchase at total of 850 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin over the next 10 years, marking the longest commitment among recent Trump administration efforts to prepare suppliers for wartime production.

The new framework agreement, announced on Thursday, includes 850 F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the US military, hundreds more for international customers, as well as spare parts and other equipment.

The deal would secure the defense contractor’s plan to produce 156 jets each year in the coming years.

The Defense Department said Lockheed Martin had agreed to fund $7 billion in investments from its own resources to support the long-term production plan.

The agreement announced on Thursday is a step toward a final contract, which would require tens of billions of dollars in congressional funding to be finalized.

The stealth fighter program has already been described as the world’s most expensive weapons program, with projected lifetime costs of $2 trillion for purchasing, operating, and maintaining the aircraft.

Pentagon officials have said that firm, multiyear purchase commitments help make weapons procurement more efficient. Suppliers involved in military programs often complain that inconsistent congressional funding makes long-term planning difficult.

“This multiyear framework strengthens the way we can plan and invest in the F-35 enterprise,” said Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet.

Berk Kutay Gökmen