Negotiations between the DoD and Lockheed Martin to definitise both the Lot 9 and Lot 10 production contracts have dragged on for a number of months. With these negotiations failing to come up with an agreed price, it was reported that the DoD had imposed its own pricing on Lot 9 and is likely to have also done the same for Lot 10. Though not an exact science, dividing the contract value (including separate previously disclosed long-lead awards amounting to USD1.4 billion) by the number of aircraft gave the Lot 9 a unit cost of approximately USD131 million (without engine), while doing the same for Lot 10 (long-lead items at USD920 million) gives a considerably lower unit cost of approximately USD90 million (without engine).
This figure is close to the USD80-85 million by 2019 target that is the goal of the Blueprint for Affordability effort, and is likely to be significantly lower once the programmatic costs of the deal are removed.
DoD awards Lot 10 production contract for F-35 | IHS Jane's 360