In news broken by Air & Space Forces Magazine on November 21 , the United States Air Force (USAF), as the primary F-35 contractor, and the F-35 Joint Program Office made what is being characterized as an “initial” agreement as to the quantity and price for F-35 Lots 18 and 19. All this means for now is that F-35 production will continue. Despite likely per-unit price increase, F-35s will keep coming Although Lockheed Martin is unable to share details, the Lot 18 and Lot 19 F-35s will likely cost more per unit thanks to inflation, increased capability – such as Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3), and fewer annual purchases of F-35 fighter jets.
Below is a photo of each variant of F-35 : Why F-35 cost increases? For example, as reported by Defense One on July 25 , Lockheed Martin’s President of Aeronautics Greg Ulmer shared, “Inflation is real. The cost of raw materials has gone up. The cost of everything has gone up, so there is just inflation pressure in the system.
” In addition to global inflationary pressures, each new F-35 will come with newer technology than previous lots. Additional money is also available in the TR-3 program to retrofit previously built F-35s, which will upgrade avionics and allow for more diversity in weapons carried by the F-35. But higher costs on a limited budget mean fewer F-35s to spread the cost around.
TR-3 and engine core upgrades might be cost pressures but...
One should note that TR-3 makes F-35 more expensive. But as covered in a recent.