Pentagon, Lockheed Martin near agreement on $30 billion F-35 jet deal

WASHINGTON D.C.: Reports this week said the U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin Corp are nearing an agreement for the purchase of some 375 F-35 fighter jets over three years.

When it first came off the production line in 2007, the stealth fifth-generation fighter cost $221 million, but as production quantities and know-how have increased, the price fell to $79 million per jet.

In recent weeks,