It might be cheaper to build F-35 strike fighters in large batches of one variant at a time, said Shay Assad, who oversees defense pricing for the Pentagon. “We’re literally in the middle of that right now. . . . That’s precisely one of the things we’re examining” as part of his office’s “should cost” analysis of the F-35, he told defense reporters Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin designed the F-35 production line to accommodate variant changes as aircraft come down the line, but changes have hampered the learning curve, and company officials have cited variant shifts as a potential cost issue in Lot 5 production, the contract for which is now under negotiation. Assad said “we’re getting much more precise [information] about . . . the commonality” between variants, and “how we should sequence that” in production. He said the Pentagon will have a much better handle on the cost of variant change after Lot 4, which is “the first time we’ve had all three [variants] in production.” He noted: “We’re expected to come in with our analysis” in 60 to 90 days.
Multiple B-21s are undergoing ground tests and being prepared to join the two aircraft now in test flight, and the Northrop Grumman is negotiating with the Air Force about how expanded production for the bomber could be accomplished, president and CEO Kathy Warden said Oct. 21. She also suggested a…
