House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.), a critic of the F-35 program, is recommending that the Lockheed Martin [LMT] fighter meet sustainment cost metrics for two consecutive years before DoD awards a performance-based logistics (PBL) contract. The HASC Chairman's mark for the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Bill would require Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by March 1 next year to detail sustainment costs and affordability targets for the three F-35 variants--the U.S. Air Force F-35A, the U.S.…
