Lockheed Martin wins $606.8Mln F-35 contract

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Aug 2023 14:39
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The US military awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth more than $600 million for materials for its F-35 aircraft.

An F-35B fighter jet lands at Luke Air Force Base in this Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 file photo, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP)

Lockheed Martin has secured a contract from the US military valued at over $600 million. This contract is designated to provide the necessary materials to sustain the punctual production of 173 F-35 jets, as stated in a press release from the Defense Department.

The release highlighted, "Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., based in Fort Worth, Texas, has been granted an undefinitized modification of fixed-price incentive (firm-target) nature, with an upper limit of $606,800,000. This modification encompasses long lead time materials, components, parts, and associated efforts to ensure the consistent and timely production and delivery of 173 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for customers engaged in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) entities."

According to the release, the majority of the assigned work will be carried out in Texas and California, supplemented by various locations within the United States, as well as sites in the UK and Italy. Anticipated to conclude by January 2028, the press release further detailed the timeframe for the completion of these endeavors.

Earlier this year, the US Department of Defense confirmed that it awarded a $7.8 billion contract modification for 126 F-35 multi-role aircraft to weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp.

The upgrade exercises opportunities for the manufacture and delivery of 126 Lot 17 F-35 aircraft for the US Air Force and its allies, including 81 F-35A aircraft.

The statement indicated that 77 aircraft had been requested for four branches of the US Army, the US Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine Corps, as well as allied countries, namely Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Japan, Belgium, Denmark, and Britain.

The order for Pentagon's most expensive weapons system, expected to be completed in August 2026, also includes 15 F-35B aircraft for the US Marine Corps and 13 F-35C for the US Navy.