Pentagon says cost to fix F-35 engine issue "relatively minor"

WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Pentagon chief arms buyer Frank Kendall said the United States was close to a design fix for the Pratt & Whitney engine that powers Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet after a major engine failure in June, and the cost would be "relatively minor."

Kendall told reporters after a defense conference that the Pentagon was setting up test fixtures to ensure that the corrective action proposed by engine maker Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corp was acceptable and adequate.

"I am getting, over time, more confident that we've got our arms around that problem and are solving it," Kendall said.

Asked about the cost of addressing the issue that destroyed the engine on an Air Force F-35A model at Eglin Air Force Base on June 23, he said, "I don't think it's going to be a huge cost. I think it's a relatively minor cost." (Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Editing by Franklin Paul)