Vice Adm. Mathias Winter: JPO Eyes Lot 11 F-35 Deal With Lockheed by mid-October

Navy Vice Adm. Mathias Winter, head of the F-35 joint program office, has said he expects JPO to close a deal with Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) for lot 11 F-35 Lightning II aircraft by Oct. 15, Defense News reported Thursday.

Winter told reporters Wednesday after his speech at the Defense News Conference the JPO has completed a proposal that seeks to reduce the per unit price of an F-35A variant to less than the lot 10 deal’s $94.6 million per aircraft.

He said the office has initiated talks and technical assessments with Lockheed™s aeronautics business and Pratt & Whitney on the airframe and engine for the fighter jets.

œIt™s actually proceeding on pace, ahead of pace of the lot 10 negotiation timeline, Winter said.

œWe are targeting the end of the calendar year for definitization of lot 11.

Winter™s remarks came two months after the Navy awarded Lockheed a potential $5.6 billion contract modification to build a total of 74 lot 11 fiscal 2017 F-35A, F-35B and F-35C variants for three U.S. service branches and another $3.69 billion modification to produce 50 lot 11 fighter jets for foreign military sales clients.

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