
The Defense Department is closing in on a deal with prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] for the next two batches of joint strike fighters, according to the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO).The department is “very close” to a contract for the ninth lot of low rate initial production (LRIP) jets and expects an LRIP 10 award by the end of April, JPO chief Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said March 23. The two lots, totaling about 150 jets, would…