WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace and defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin said on Thursday that it had met its production target of 91 130 F-35s in 2018, aiming to deliver more than 130 of the style next year.
The Maryland-based high-tech company said the 91st F-35 aircraft built in 2018 would be delivered to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in the State of South Carolina.
"In 2018, deliveries included 54 F-35s for the United States, 21 for international partner nations and 16 for Foreign Military Sales customers," according to the company.
The company said the deliveries in 2018 represented nearly a 40 percent increase from 2017, while it planned to deliver more than 130 F-35s to its clients in 2019.
"This milestone demonstrates the F-35 enterprise is prepared for full rate production and ready to deliver on increasing demand from our customers worldwide," said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of the F-35 program.
The company said that the price of an F-35A, a variant designed to take off and land on ground bases, was now 89.2 million U.S. dollars. It expected to lower its price to 80 million dollars by 2020.
F-35 is a jet fighter armed with stealth technology, which makes the aircraft almost "invisible" for radars. According to the company, more than 355 F-35s have been delivered to date, as 10 nations are flying the F-35 nowadays.
