{"id":40325,"date":"2017-10-24T17:55:10","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T17:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/10\/24\/pentagon-kicks-off-intensive-f-35-cost-review\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:05:45","slug":"pentagon-kicks-off-intensive-f-35-cost-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2017\/10\/24\/pentagon-kicks-off-intensive-f-35-cost-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon kicks off intensive F-35 cost review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Defense Department\u2019s deep dive into the F-35\u2019s cost is officially underway, as a team of Pentagon officials works their way through the massive supply chain of the joint strike fighter, a top official said Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon knows how much it\u2019s paying for the F-35, but the deep dive will help officials understand the true cost of the jet and why, as well as what can be done to whittle down the price tag even further, said Shay Assad, the department\u2019s director of defense pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next several weeks, the assessment team will meet with the three major contractors on the F-35 \u2014 prime contractor Lockheed Martin, as well as BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman, which make major portions of the fuselage \u2014 and lay out the parameters of the review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLockheed is familiar with this process because we\u2019ve done it before with them, so this isn\u2019t something new,\u201d Assad said. \u201cMany of the things we\u2019re talking about are just practices that have occurred in the past, this will just be much more rigorous. So we\u2019ll lay it out with the companies. And we\u2019ll also lay out for them: Here\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The review will take about a year to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very intense effort,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t