WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The Pentagon's plans to defersome orders for F-35 fighter jets over the next five yearsshould not have a significant impact on efforts to lower thejet's costs, said Jeff Babione, who manages the $391 billionprogram for Lockheed Martin Corp.
Babione told reporters at the Air Force Association's annualAir Warfare Symposium in Orlando that the company and its keysuppliers were continuing broad-based efforts to lower the costof the new radar-evading warplane.
Lockheed is continuing negotiations with the Pentagon's F-35program office about a ninth batch of jets, Babione said. Thatdeal would mean that the overall cost of the planes had beenreduced by over 60 percent since the program's start in 2001.
The U.S. Defense Department plans to spend $56.3 billion for404 F-35 fighter jets over the next five years, deferring thepurchase of about 24 jets until after fiscal 2021.
Babione said Lockheed could save several billion dollars bystarting a multiyear block buy agreement with internationalpartners, but said details were still being worked with thosecountries and the United States. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)