The U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin Corp are in the final stages of negotiations about two contracts for 160 fighter jets, tandem deals valued at more than $14 billion, the Pentagon's F-35 program manager said on Saturday. Lockheed's F-35 program manager Jeff Babione had told reporters on Thursday that he expected to reach an agreement soon about contracts for the ninth and 10th production contracts for the new warplane. Sources familiar with the two contracts said they would likely be valued between $14 billion and $15 billion. He said all the major issues had been resolved and the fate of the deal was largely in Lockheed's hands at the moment. "We're in the end game," Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan said in an interview at the Royal International Air Tattoo the world's largest military airshow, where six F-35 Lightning II jets are flying this week.

Source: Thanhnien News July 09, 2016 17:26 UTC