Contract awarded on first F-35 models

Posted on: May. 2nd, 2006 || Source: dfw.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Pentagon officials have awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. a $901 million contract to begin work on the first five production models of the F-35 joint strike fighter, months before the first test airplane makes its inaugural flight.

The contract, recently approved by senior Pentagon officials, flies in the face of warnings by some critics that the F-35 program is on such a fast track that it is likely to encounter technical problems and higher costs.

Now the Air Force, in an article published Monday by Defense News, has acknowledged that nearly all of the 100 or so F-22 fighters already built or in production may have serious defects that could require $1 billion in repairs.

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