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.
Promotions to the Space Force’s second highest enlisted grade, senior master sergeant, have surged to the highest level in the young service’s history, bolstering the senior NCO corps as officials plan to aggressively expand the force and especially the enlisted corps.