Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016
The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016
New York Times: Trump Pits Boeing Against Lockheed to Cut Costs of New Fighter Jets
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s latest missive on military spending suggests that Boeing has perhaps swayed him more than its rival Lockheed Martin. Now, he is preparing to pit one off the other to try to decrease the cost of new fighter jets, military analysts said on Thursday.
Mr. Trump’s post on Twitter on Thursday afternoon said that based on the “tremendous cost and cost overruns” on Lockheed’s new F-35 strike fighter jet, he had asked Boeing to give him the price for a “comparable” version of its older F-18 Super Hornet.
His post came a day after he had met with the two companies’ chiefs in Florida. It indicated he was receptive to Boeing’s longtime pitch that the Navy should buy more of its F-18s over Lockheed’s F-35s for aircraft carriers.
Military analysts said Mr. Trump’s post also sharply raised the pressure on Lockheed to lower the cost of the F-35 program, which is projected to cost $400 billion for 2,400 planes for the Air Force, the Marines and the Navy.
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WNU Editor: I have to see this to believe it .... Lockheed CEO tells Trump she will work to drive down cost of F-35 (Reuters). Lockheed's political supporters are coming on board .... Dems to Trump: F-35 substitute a 'total nonstarter' (The Hill).
More News On President-Elect Trump Pitting Defense Contractor Boeing Against Lockheed Martin
Trump Says He Asked Boeing to Price a Competitor to Lockheed's F-35 -- Bloomberg
Trump plays hardball with defense contractors, pits Boeing against Lockheed Martin -- Washington Times
Trump asks Boeing to price-out 'comparable' F-18 Super Hornet to Lockheed's F-35 -- FOX News
Lockheed F-35 fighter project in doubt after Trump tweet encourages rival Boeing -- The Guardian/Reuters
Trump puts pressure on Lockheed Martin over cost of F-35 -- Financial Times
Trump asks Boeing for F/A-18 pitch, citing ‘tremendous’ cost overruns of Lockheed Martin F-35 -- Seattle Times
Trump drops Twitter bomb on Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet -- Politico
‘Tremendous cost!’ $379bn F-35 project in doubt as Trump asks to ‘price-out’ cheaper F-18s -- RT
Trump’s Push to Cut Jet Costs Hits a Nerve, but His Demands Face Limitations -- NYT
You can't replace the F-35 with an F-18 any more than you can replace an aircraft carrier with a cruiser ship -- Popular Science
Donald Trump's Dream Fighter Plane Is Just That: There is no "comparable" F-18 to the F-35. -- Popular Mechanics
Exactly how Trump can end the F35 and save $15 billion or more per year for 30-50 years while improving US military capability -- Next Big Future
Donald Trump Thinks He Can Beat the F-35: It’ll take more than a tweet to cut, let alone kill, the program -- Joseph Trevithick, War Is Boring
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