Lockheed Martin received yesterday over $107.5 million to produce the first F-35A for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). Hague is committed to fund two early production F-35, a decision made in April this year despite drastic cuts in the government budget.
The Netherlands was an early development partner in the F-35 program, committing $800 million to research and development and agreeing to buy two planes to participate in operational testing. The Dutch had ordered one airplane earlier but sofar withheld the decision on funding the other plane.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/09/3141446/business-briefs-dutch-are-back.html#ixzz1OsKWJrMv
The aircraft is the 32nd production aircraft ordered under the multi billion fixed price incentive contract for low rate initial production, (LOT IV) managed by the US Navy Navair command, Patuxent River, Md. The funding for the Dutch plane was provided as a modification to that contract.
Most of the work will be performed in the USA (80 percent) with the remaining work done in the UK. According to the Pentagon announcement , the work will be completed in less than who years (by February 2013).
