Lawmakers Back Lockheed’s F-35 Jet for Production Boost
- Senate’s spending panel follows House’s in adding more planes
- A vote of confidence even before a key test for costliest jet
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Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 received a vote of confidence Tuesday from a congressional defense funding panel, three months before the Pentagon’s costliest program is to start vigorous testing to demonstrate its combat capability.
The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee added $1.2 billion to speed the purchase of 12 fighters on top of the 77 the Pentagon requested, as the panel approved its defense spending measure for fiscal 2019. Earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee added 16 F-35s in its version of the measure at the urging of Representative Kay Granger, who has Lockheed’s F-35 assembly plant in her Texas district.