UPDATE 1-Pentagon says not worried about F-35 costs/orders 'death spiral'
September 17, 2013 at 17:02 PM EDT
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Air Force general who runs the Pentagon's $392 billion F-35 fighter program said on Tuesday communications with leading contractors Lockheed Martin Corp and United Technologies Corp had improved greatly in the last year.