Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Aug 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. government now estimates it will
cost $857 billion to operate and maintain a fleet of more than
2,000 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets over 55
years, a drop of more than 20 percent from the previous estimate
of more than $1 trillion, according to a senior defense
official.
The new estimate reflects actual data about the airplane’s
performance and revised assumptions about how it will be used in
combat.
The new estimate was first reported by Bloomberg on
Wednesday. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the costliest
weapons program in U.S. history.
