Lockheed to Get $10.7 Billion for F-35s in Budget Plan
- Pentagon to seek 77 jets in stay-the-course funding proposal
- Fighter jet’s persistent technical flaws cited by tester
A F-35A fighter jet performs aerial maneuvers during a flying display at the 53rd International Paris Air Show.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The Pentagon intends to ask Congress to approve $10.7 billion to buy 77 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 jets in the fiscal year set to begin Oct. 1, according to U.S. officials.
The proposal for the Defense Department’s costliest program will be included Feb. 12 as part of a fiscal 2019 base defense budget plan of about $597 billion. That’s the bulk of a $716 billion national security request expected from President Donald Trump, which also covers the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons programs and smaller agencies.