The U.S. Dept. of Defense issued a further $27.2 million to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics within the context of a previously awarded contract for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The original, December 2023 contract had an initial value of $138.46 million, to cover procurement of various special tooling and testing equipment in support of production, retrofit modifications, and flight test instrumentation for the F-35, for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and the various foreign partners and non-DoD program participants.
The F-35 is a series of fighter jets deployed for ground attack and combat, and available in three variants – for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and for the defense forces of more than a dozen other nations. It is the largest U.S. defense program, with total manufacturing and sustainment estimated at $2.1 trillion.
A similar contract modification was awarded in February of this year.
Since the initial award in 2023, the contract’s potential end date has been extended from September 2027 to December 2028, and the potential total award value has increased 160% to $360.33 million.
In its announcement, the Pentagon noted that the new award will fund activities in Marietta, Ga., Palmdale, Calif., and Fort Worth, Texas, and smaller-scale activities in at various other locations.
Lockheed is implementing the Pentagon’s Technology Refresh-3 initiative for the F-35 – for new models and for hundreds of F-35s delivered and in service. TR-3 will institute more advanced flight control software, improved data-processing capabilities, greater computer memory, and enhanced graphical displays that will be compatible with the upcoming Block 4 upgrade to the aircraft.
Block 4 is expected to establish more advanced electronic warfare capabilities for the fighter jets by 2029.
Funding for the current award will be drawn from the USAF, USMC, USN, and the Pentagon’s foreign military sales customers, and non-U.S. DoD program participants’ budgets.
