Says F-35 Program Is 'Out Of Control'

Another military aviation program has drawn fire from President-elect Donald Trump. This time, he has taken to Twitter to criticize the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and government spending in general.

President-elect Trump posted a message critical of the program to his account Monday morning. "The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th," he said.

Trump is not the first to question the costs of the program. Some member of congress have been wary of the plane's $150 million per copy price tag for years.

The New York Daily News reports that the Tweet was posted as Defense Secretary Ash Carter is visiting the Israel, which is getting set to take delivery of its first F-35 aircraft. Lockheed Martin is developing the aircraft for the U.S. military as well as several friendly foreign governments.

In a statement, the defense contractor said it would be open to addressing any issues Trump has with the costs of the F-35 program.

Lockheed Martin's stock reportedly fell about 4 percent Monday following the Tweet.

The total F-35 program is expected to cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $400 billion. It is the most expensive weapons program on record.

Last week, Trump posted a Tweet critical of Boeing for the projected cost of new Air Force One aircraft that will be built on the 747-8 platform.

(Image from file)

FMI: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump