Lockheed F-35 Comes Out Ahead in Spending Bill’s Defense Accord

Tanks and submarines being built by General Dynamics Corp. and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter made by Lockheed Martin Corp came out ahead in military provisions of the omnibus U.S. spending bill.

The $1.01 trillion legislation crafted by House and Senate lawmakers would allot $487 billion for the Pentagon’s base spending and $85 billion for war operations, primarily in Afghanistan, for the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30. The Pentagon would receive about $5.7 billion more than it requested for warfare expenses.

Appropriators also agreed to $9.8 billion for military construction and $11.2 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the safety, security, and readiness of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

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