Lockheed Martin is a year ahead of its 2020 goal to reduce the cost of its F-35 fighter jet to $80m, according to campaign manager Mark Pranke. The company is among several vying to secure a €7bn ($7.9bn) to €10bn contract with Finland to replace the nation's fleet of ageing Hornets, a purchase set to cost 15% of the government's annual €55.5bn budget. In an interview on Finnish television last week, Mr Trump said he would not rule out buying more US military hardware from Finland, but that it was "not something we're going to talk about right now".
Lockheed Martin is a year ahead of its 2020 goal to reduce the cost of its F-35 fighter jet to $80m, according to campaign manager Mark Pranke. The company is among several vying to secure a €7bn ($7.9bn) to €10bn contract with Finland to replace the nation's fleet of ageing Hornets, a purchase set to cost 15% of the government's annual €55.5bn budget. Lockheed faces competition from Boeing, Saab, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault.