U.S. delays will raise F-35 fighter price, Japan deal unchanged

The Pentagon on Thursday acknowledged that a delay in U.S. orders for 179 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets would raise the cost of each new warplane in the short term, but said Lockheed still needed to keep driving down its production costs. Navy Vice Admiral David Venlet, who heads the Pentagon's F-35 program office, said he had briefed the eight international partners about the effect of the production slowdown, and they affirmed their commitment to the program at a meeting last week. (Reuters)