Joint Strike Fighter lead contractor Lockheed Martin has submitted its contract proposal for the fifth production lot of the F-35, the first step in a contracting process likely to last through the summer and into the fall. Vice Adm. David Venlet, the F-35 program executive officer, told reporters last Thursday that delivery of Lockheed's low-rate initial production lot 5 (LRIP 5) contract proposal was “imminent,” and Mike Ryan, Lockheed's F-35 communications director, confirmed to Inside the Air Force this morning...