Lockheed Martin snaps up $11.7 billion contract to produce new batch of F-35 aircraft

American defense firm Lockheed Martin has been awarded an undefinitized, firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract for the production and delivery of 145 F-35 full-rate production (FRP) Lot 18 aircraft.

According to the US Department of Defense (DoD), the company will provide 145 F-35 aircraft in various configurations. For the US forces, the order includes 48 F-35A jets for the US Air Force, 16 F-35B jets for the US Marine Corps, and 19 F-35C jets—five for the US Marine Corps and 14 for the US Navy.

Furthermore, the company will supply 15 F-35A aircraft and one F-35B for non-US Department of Defense.

As part of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, Lockheed Martin is contracted to provide 39 F-35A aircraft and seven F-35B aircraft. According to US officials, this modification provides tooling support for the governments of Italy and Japan’s final assembly and check-out facilities.

The program is expected to be completed in June 2027.

The F-35C is the US Navy’s first stealth fighter and the world’s only fifth-generation, long-range stealth strike fighter. It is a multi-role aircraft able to perform a variety of missions, including air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strikes, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare.

More than 100 F-35Cs have already been delivered to the US Navy and Marine Corps. 

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) was the first US Marine squadron to deploy the F-35C on an aircraft carrier.

In November this year, the US Marine Corps conducted the first F-35C combat air strikes for the platform.