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DOD Delays Milestone C Decision for F-35 Program

DOD Delays Milestone C Decision for F-35 Program - top government contractors - best government contracting event
F-35A

The Department of Defense has indefinitely postponed a final determination to let the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter aircraft move into the full production phase due to technical and pandemic challenges that have affected combat simulation test preparations, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Bloomberg quoted Jessica Maxwell, a spokeswoman for DOD acquisition chief Ellen Lord, as saying the rate of low-rate initial production efforts will continue as planned and that President-elect Joe Biden's transition team could receive a briefing on the program's status at an acquisition-related meeting this week.

Maxwell added that a new schedule for the crucial simulated test will depend on the findings of an independent technical review.

Laura Seal, a spokeswoman for the DOD's F-35 program office, told the publication that the office currently analyzes test requirements and expects the department to hand down a Milestone C decision by the end of February.

Lockheed delivered 74 F-35s to U.S. service branches, 31 to international partner nations and another 18 to foreign military sales customers during 2020.

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