Lockheed Martin won a four-year, $879.1-million U.S. Navy assignment to produce and deliver a wide range of armament equipment for Lots 18 and 19 of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The items to be manufactured include various missile launchers, bomb racks, gun systems, pylons, and adapters supporting “functionality and readiness” of various armaments for the aircraft and the agreed delivery schedules.
The F-35 is a single-engine jet with stealth technology and capabilities for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, electronic warfare, and reconnaissance missions. Its three variants are in service for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, and for the defense forces of 20 other nations.
More than 1,300 F-35s have been built by Lockheed, with hundreds of program suppliers.
Lots 18 and 19 are currently in production under a $24.29-billion agreement finalized last September, covering a total of 296 aircraft to be delivered through August 2028.
The current award is a modification to an existing “basic ordering agreement” between the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin from March 2024.
The manufacturing activities will be underway by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Tex., through February 2030.
