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F-35 Program Costs Jump to $406.5 Billion in Latest Estimate

  • After declines, bill for Lockheed Martin fighter to rise 7%
  • Trump has publicly lobbied to get jet’s contract costs down
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F-35 Jet Estimated Program Costs Jump to $406.5 Billion

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The cost of the F-35 jet program, already the most expensive U.S. weapons program ever, is estimated to climb further as the plane’s production period gets extended, according to figures submitted to Congress on Monday.

Total acquisition costs for Lockheed Martin Corp.’s next-generation fighter may rise about 7 percent to $406.5 billion, according to figures in a document known as a Selected Acquisition Report. That’s a reversal after several years of estimates that had declined to $379 billion recently from a previous high of $398.5 billion in early 2014.