Documents have revealed that the UK has paid $4.17bn (£3.36bn) in procuring its first 35 short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL)-configured F-35B Lightning II fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin.
However, Lockheed Martin said that since the UK began ordering the aircraft, the cost has been reduced by almost 40% per airframe. Written evidence by the company to the UK government’s Defence Select Committee has provided a breakdown of how the price per aircraft has reduced as the number of Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lots progress. These figures were disclosed as part of a parliamentary probe into UK military aircraft procurement, which is currently examining the nation’s F-35B acquisition and investigating any possible delays by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in placing remaining orders.