The Pentagon's cancellation of the sixth-generation fighter jet project developed by the American company Lockheed Martin has cost the arms manufacturer about $1 billion. This estimate is contained in an article in The National Interestmagazine.
According to him, Lockheed Martin management's attempts to shift focus to the F-35 fifth-generation fighter modernization program reflect serious concerns about the financial losses incurred, as well as the decrease in the volume of purchases of this aircraft by the US armed forces.
On July 22, Lockheed Martin published its financial statements for the second quarter of this year. According to the document, the corporation's profits fell by 80%, with losses amounting to $1.6 billion. USD, of which 950 million USD are from a classified government program for the development of aviation technologies.
Earlier, the Defense One portal reported that the US Department of Defense will halve purchases of various modifications of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets until the manufacturer makes progress in the modernization process of the aircraft. The Pentagon has chosen the development of the sixth-generation F-47 fighter-bomber as a priority investment. Initially, Lockheed Martin also planned to work on this project, but the company lost the tender to Boeing for the construction of the aircraft.