Donald Trump pressured the chief of one of the country’s major defense contractors Wednesday to lower the price of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet, saying the massive project has ballooned well beyond what it should cost.
Mr. Trump said he couldn’t report any progress yet — “it’s a little bit of a dance,” he said — but predicted eventual success in negotiations with Lockheed Martin Corp., the lead contractor on a production line expected to top $1 trillion in costs across its total service cycle.
“We’re going to get the costs down and we’re going to get it done beautifully,” he said.
The F-35 has been embattled for years, with early returns coming in over budget and behind schedule.
Mr. Trump recently targeted the program as an example of runaway government spending, calling it “out of control.”
He met with top Pentagon officials and with Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson on Wednesday, where the project was discussed.
The CEO did not stop to speak with reporters as she left the meeting.
The Pentagon is defending the F-35, insisting the program is back on track and meeting budget targets after its early stumbles.
But bad press has dogged the plane, including a fleet-wide grounding in 2014 and repeated watchdog reports warning of cost-overruns in the future.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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