Lockheed to Continue Infrastructure Support for F-35 JSF Program

Lockheed Martin has secured a contract to extend infrastructure support for the US Department of Defense’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

The $63.5-million deal orders the continued engineering, logistics, maintenance, materials, and manpower services for the program’s laboratory facilities and associated aircraft developmental flight evaluations.

Centers and tests covered by the agreement currently support the design, production, and acquisition of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets for the US Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and allied forces.

Lead tasks for the infrastructure contract will take place in Fort Worth, Texas, while supplementary works will be held in Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, California, and the UK.

The project will run until August 2024.

Trials, Software Support

Lockheed’s latest contract builds on a 2022 agreement to conduct developmental flight tests and manufacture corresponding software solutions for the US F-35 fleet.

In addition to similar Lightning II services, the $632.1-million framework agreement also supported “unique sea trials” for British aircraft carriers.

Lockheed’s F-35 Lightning II Aircraft

The F-35 combat aircraft is powered by a turbofan engine for a speed of Mach 1.6 (1,900 kilometers/1,200 miles per hour), a range of over 1,200 nautical miles (1,380 miles/2,200 kilometers), and an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,240 meters).

It has an overall fuselage length of 51 feet (15.7 meters), a wingspan of 35 feet (10.7 meters), and an 18,400-pound (8,346-kilogram) fuel capacity.

Depending on mission requirements, the jet can be armed with air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, guided munitions, and gun systems.