F-35 program--paying for mistakes-- 4 less aircraft in LRIP 5

The mistake-jet method of building jets has a cost. At some point the procurement death spiral comes calling.

The Air Force deleted three aircraft and the Navy one from the pending contract to help fund the overruns and costs associated with retrofits to the initial aircraft intended to correct glitches that have been revealed in flight testing, he said. These are so-called “concurrency costs.”