F-35 WILL ONLY GET CHEAPER: The Pentagon’s latest contract with Lockheed Martin includes innovative incentives to promote more efficient assembly of F-35s, which should bring the unit cost of the fighter jet under $80 million by the time the plane moves to full-rate production around 2020, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, the F-35 program director, told reporters yesterday.

Late last week, the F-35 Joint Program Office signed an $11.5 billion contract for its latest batch of 141 F-35s under what’s known as Low Rate Initial Production Lot 11. Winter says by Lot 14, which should be awarded in 2020, the price should be close to what it would cost to replace legacy aircraft, like an updated version of the venerable F-15 that Boeing proposed to the Air Force this year. “Lockheed Martin committed to the U.S. government an $80 million jet by Lot 14. We are holding them to that commitment,” Winter said. “I anticipate an $80 million or lower jet in Lot 14.”