Pentagon: Buy 375

According to Reuters on the 19th, on the 18th local time, the US Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin stated that the two parties had reached a batch procurement verbal agreement, and the U.S. military will purchase about 375 F-35 fighters in the next 3 years.

William Raprant, director of the Pentagon's weapon procurement, said: "We are glad to announce to the outside world that the Ministry of National Defense and Lockheed Martin have reached a verbal agreement to purchase 375 F-35 fighters (basic procurement). Any adjustment made in the 2023 fiscal annual budget and orders of international partners may change the final procurement of the agreement. "

In a statement, Loma said: "Under the influence of the new crown epidemic, even if the purchase volume of the F-35 fighter has declined, Loma can still ensure that the cost of each aircraft increases below the record of the record."

According to Reuters, the data released last week showed that the inflation rate in the United States in June further increased, and the adult rate reached 9.1%.

According to reports, the negotiations between the Pentagon and Loma have fallen into a deadlock in recent weeks, and even if the two parties have reached an oral agreement, the final value of the contract cannot be finalized in the short term, but the outside world is expected to be around $ 30 billion.

In 2019, the Pentagon and Loma also signed a three-year batch purchase order, purchased 478 F-35 fighters at a price of $ 340. Reuters said that the decision of batch procurement allows Loma to purchase more parts and components at one time, reducing the project cost by about 8%.

Reuters said that in addition to batch procurement orders from the U.S. military, the F-35 fighter has also succeeded in the military sales market. Recently, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and other countries have announced that they will purchase F-35 fighters, and potential customers include Greece and Czech Republic. Reuters said that the F-35 fighter is currently the fist product of Loma, and the project's income accounts for about 27%of Loma's total revenue.

As a stealth fighter designed to meet the different needs of the US Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine Corps at the same time, the F-35 has been accompanied by many disputes since its birth. Even after this aircraft was put into mass production, many technical hidden dangers were still exposed, resulting in delay in related production and upgrading plans and rising costs. A report released by the U.S. Government Accountability (GAO) in April 2022 shows that the delivery of Block4 upgrades for the comprehensive combat capabilities of F-35 fighters has been postponed to 2029, compared with the original plan to be postponed for 3 years. And the cost will also rise significantly.

Xiaobian Z

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