The F-35 program has made "major advances" over the last three years and is no longer "one of my 'problem programs,'" Pentagon acquisition, technology, and logistics chief Frank Kendall said. Speaking during a June teleconference following a multiday summit with government, contractor, and allied nation F-35 managers, Kendall said he'll green light boosting the F-35 production rate in September, going to 44 in 2015 and 66 in 2016. The meeting had a "completely different tone" than last year's summit, noted Kendall. The program is "on track." Negotiations on Lots 6 and 7 are going "more quickly and more smoothly" than on Lot 5, which were tough because it was the first based on DOD's should-cost analysis, he said.
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