Pentagon sees slight drop in F-35 acquisition costs: sources

The Pentagon's annual report to Congress shows a decline of $4.5 billion or just over 1 percent in the projected development and acquisition cost of the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet program, sources familiar with the data said.

The Pentagon's annual "selected acquisition report" for lawmakers projects the cost of developing and building the new radar-evading jet to be $391.2 billion, down from last year's estimate of $395.7 billion, said the sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)