DoD Wants 5% Cut on Next Batch of F-35s

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the Internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Reuters reports the Pentagon is telling Lockheed to shave 5 percent off the F-35s in their upcoming annual purchase contract, sending the price tag of the standard version below $80 million.

Syria and North Korea reaffirm their friendship, reports Stars and Stripes, as the US increases pressure on both countries.

Tensions rise across East Asia at President Donald Trump’s deployment of an aircraft carrier to the waters off the Korean peninsula, the show of force concealing a lack of options for dealing with North Korea, which includes a failure to secure commitments on how to deal with the rogue nation from China’s president Xi Jinping during his visit to the US last week, The New York Times reports.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster says the US would push for regime change in Syria, but “we’re not the ones who are going to effect that change,”  reports Politico.

The Pentagon said last week’s US missile strike on an air base in Syria destroyed or damaged 20 Syrian warplanes, 20 percent of its operational military aircraft — and blew up much of the base’s fuel supply, reports USA Today.

Defense One on the bombing raid Security Theater: Actions designed to look as if they will keep us safer, while actually doing nothing of the sort. We are now seeing this in Syria as the bombing raid did nothing to stop the long-running Syrian civil war, says Defense One, “It looks good.”

The Navy looks at upgrading future frigates to protect other ships from anti-air threats in addition to defending against undersea and surface enemies, Defense News reports.

Faced with pilots leaving the Air Force in droves for the airlines, top generals consider forcing some to stay in the service against their will, a senior Air Force general told CQ Roll Call, reports stripes.com.

Pax River will be one of the bases to receive delivery of the MQ-4C Triton autonomous signals-intelligence aircraft, reports National Defense Magazine. The Navy plans to reach “early operational capability” on the Triton in 2018. Other bases expected to receive delivery of the Tritons include NAS Sigonella in Italy, Naval Station Mayport in Florida, and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. The main operating bases will be Point Magu, California, and in Guam.

Maryland moves toward halting pharmaceutical price gouging, under a measure passed by lawmakers, reports the Washington Times. The bill sent to Gov. Larry Hogan would enable the attorney general to bring civil actions against manufacturers of off-patent or generic drugs that make an “unconscionable” price increase — described as an excessive increase unjustified by the cost of producing or distributing the drug.

Contracts:

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $9,533,512 not-to-exceed, undefinitized modification to a previously awarded low-rate initial production Lot 9 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter advanced acquisition contract (N00019-14-C-0002). This modification provides for the delivery of hardware and engineering services for the government of Japan. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (80 percent); and Nagoya, Japan (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2018. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $6,812,978 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.