Shay Assad, director of defense pricing at the Defense Department, has said DoD has started a comprehensive cost review of the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 aircraft to help officials find ways on how to further reduce the cost of the fighter jet, Defense News reported Tuesday.Assad told the publication Monday a DoD assessment team will collaborate with F-35 contractors Lockheed, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems to discuss the parameters of the review that would take a year to conclude.
“Many of the things we’re talking about are just practices that have occurred in the past, this will just be much more rigorous,†Assad said.
“So we’ll lay it out with the companies… Here’s our plan in terms of your subcontractor base, and this is what we want to do, and then get off and get the work done,†he added.
Assad said he believes Lockheed can still further reduce the per unit price of an F-35A variant than the current goal of $80 million per aircraft by 2020, the report added.
