WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Defense has finalized an agreement with defense contractor Lockheed Martin to purchase 478 additional F-35 Lightning II airplanes in a deal totaling 34 billion U.S. dollars, said a U.S. official Tuesday.
According to U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Eric Fick, the F-35 program executive officer, the deal include 351 F-35A jets, which is the standard model used by the Air Force, 86 F-35Bs, which is the vertical-takeoff model used by the Marine Corps, and 41 F-35Cs, which are for carrier-based operations.
Lockheed Martin said in a press release Tuesday that the agreement includes 291 aircraft for the U.S. Services, 127 for F-35 international partners, and 60 for F-35 foreign military sales customers.
The F-35 program, principally funded by the United States, is the most expensive military weapons system in history, but it has been under criticism for cost overrun and delayed delivery.
Currently, some 440 F-35 aircraft have been delivered to military organizations around the world, according to the Pentagon.
