
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin [LMT] entered into a "handshake agreement " on July 18 for up to 375 F-35s in Lots 15 to 17, DoD said on July 19. Pentagon acquisition chief William LaPlante said that DoD would provide further details of the contract upon award. "Over the past three months, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin made significant progress in negotiations," DoD said in a statement. "The team deliberately…