How Much Do F-35s Cost To Make? Donald Trump Blasts Defense Program Spending

After attacking Boeing’s 747 Air Force One program for its costs, Donald Trump has criticized defense contractor Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program costs. The president-elect tweeted Monday that the program’s cost is “out of control” and “billions of dollars can and will be saved” on military purchases once he takes office.

According to Lockheed Martin, three variations of over 2,400 F-35s will replace older fighter jets used by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. The cost of these combat planes is estimated to be nearly $400 billion, while operating costs are likely to bring the total costs to above $1 trillion, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In his tweet, however, Trump did not explain how he plans to save billions of dollars on military. And it also remains unknown what prompted him to criticize the program.

The defense giant’s stocks plunged 2.5 percent Monday after Trump’s attack of the program. Lockheed Martin issued a statement following Trump’s concerns over the F-35 program costs.

“We plan to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to reduce the cost of sustaining the airplane over its 30-40 year lifespan. We understand the importance of affordability and that’s what the F-35 has been about,” Jeff Babione, the program’s general manager, said in the statement.

The Associated Press (AP) noted that if Trump plans to target F-35s program, tens of thousands of jobs the company generates in 45 states will be affected. The report said that the real estate tycoon can suggest cuts to the F-35s or even propose to cancel it altogether, but Congress will be the one to take a final call on the budget.

Last Tuesday, Trump blasted Boeing’s 747 Air Force One program.

“Well, the plane is totally out of control. It’s going to be over $4 billion for [the] Air Force One program," the 70-year-old said last Tuesday. “And I think it’s ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money.”

However, the White House issued a statement clarifying that the Air Force One cost cited by the president-elect did not correlate with the arrangements made between Boeing and the Department of Defense.