
The Pentagon’s acquisition chief will not declare full rate production (FRP) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by the end of this year, and a Milestone C decision could instead take place up to 13 months later. Speaking to reporters Oct. 18 at the Pentagon, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord said the FRP decision could come as late as January 2021, rather than December 2019 as both the department and F-35 contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] had…