Peter Graham
Lockheed Martin and its partner companies in the F-35 Lightning II program will move forward with efforts sustain and update the fighter aircraft’s systems after the industry team completed 309 deliveries to military customers worldwide, AIN Online reported Tuesday.
Greg Ulmer, vice president and general manager of Lockheed’s F-35 program, said during a media briefing at the Farnborough International Airshow he estimates that the program will save nearly $4 billion over its life cycle through Blueprint 1 affordability initiatives.
Ulmer added he predicts an upcoming Blueprint 2 initiative can generate an additional $2 billion in savings and that the company has awarded performance-based logistics contracts to some of its subcontractors.
He told AIN that F-35 collaborators are discussing the feasibility of implementing an “availability contract” used in other military aircraft programs.
