Affordability Initiative May Bring F-35 Price Under $80 Million

摘要

LOCKHEED MARTIN IS IN DISCUSSION WITH THE F-35 JOINTProgram Office on implementing a third phase of the enterprise's afford ability initiative that could potentially take the air-frame price point below $80 million.Greg Ulmer, F-35 vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin, tells Aviation Week that the second phase of Blueprint for Affordability (BFA), the company's affordability initiative, will end in September 2019. Now is the time for the company and program to determine how BFA 3 will be structured, he says.Northrop Grumman's Fastener Insertion Live Link System is projected to save $77 million over the life of the platform.Lockheed Martin aims to lower the F-35A price to $80 million per airframe by 2020, and those jets will be delivered starting in 2022."There's nothing magical about [$80 million dollars]. It is a reference point for us to target, but if I can get that number below, I'm motivated to get that number below, because it will make me that much more competitive," Ulmer says.The company has achieved $5 billion in savings over the fifth-generation fighter's life cycle with a $250 million investment. These savings are the result of the first two phases of the affordability initiative."We're constantly looking at how to reduce the cost," he says.