Jane Edwards
Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson has said the company and the Defense Department are engaged in a “complex negotiation†over the next contract to build the 11th batch of 130 F-35 fighter jets.
“Our government customer needs to understand the cost,†Hewson told CNBC in an interview posted Thursday.
“We need to make sure that we are both at the table negotiating,†she added.
Hewson, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, noted that F-35 accounts for 25 percent of the company’s sales and cited the fighter jet’s sensor capability to communicate with other platforms on the battlefield.
She said Monday at Lockheed’s media day event that the company is on track to deliver at least 90 fighter jets to U.S. and allies this year and collaborates with industry partners to reduce the F-35A’s price to $80 million per aircraft by 2020.
