F-35 News. Congress to withhold funding until Pentagon gets rights to technical data...

via Bloomberg

The House panel that approves defense spending intends to withhold half of next year’s funding for F-35 spare parts until the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Corp. agree on the sale of technical data for spare parts to improve the tracking of items and allow purchases from other suppliers.

Struggling to resolve spare parts shortages and bottlenecks for the fighter plane worldwide, the Defense Department this month requested that Lockheed offer a proposal to sell it cost and technical data rights to the parts. That would give the Pentagon the ability to seek its own suppliers for parts or even produce some at its maintenance depots.

But the panel said the department has yet to hear back from Lockheed, the No. 1 U.S. defense contractor.

Story here. 

This is the key to the kingdom.  This is the backbone of Lockheed Martin's profit scheme going into the future.

And now Congress and the Pentagon is trying to buy the rights to it.

Freaking awesome.