The Defense Department is withholding $46.5 million in reimbursements from Lockheed Martin until the company fixes deficiencies in its earned value management system that the company uses to track costs and schedules for the F-35 strike fighter, reported Bloomberg. That amount totals five percent of two F-35 production contracts and a smaller development agreement for Israel, according to the Oct. 26 report. Lockheed Martin President Chris Kubasik told reporters during a teleconference on Oct. 24 that the company had made progress in resolving the issue. “We have a corrective action plan that has been approved, and we are executing to that,” he said. “We are having status checks monthly, and by all accounts everybody is satisfied with the progress that we are making,” he added.
The Space Force awarded three contracts for rocket launches worth up to a combined $13.68 billion on April 4—and the usual players SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have got some competition in the form of newcomer Blue Origin.