(Reuters) – An outburst in Australia this week by the Pentagon's chief buyer for the costly F-35 Joint Strike Fighter risks undermining the program at home and abroad, U.S. defense officials and industry experts say. At an Australian air show, Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan accused the plane's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp and engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp , of trying to “squeeze every nickel” out of the U.S. government for the planes. …
AVALON, Australia (Reuters) – The Pentagon program chief for the F-35 warplane slammed its commercial partners Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney on Wednesday, accusing them of trying to “squeeze every nickel” out of the U.S. government and failing to see the long-term benefits of the project. U.S. Lieutenant-General Christopher Bogdan made the comments during a visit to Australia, where he has sought to convince lawmakers and generals to stick to a plan to buy 100 of the jets, an exercise complicated by the second grounding of the plane this year and looming U.S. defense cuts. …
