The Department of Defense’s F-35 Joint Program Office has awarded Lockheed Martin’s industry team annualized contracts for fiscal years 2021-2023 to support operations and sustainment of its F-35 fleet.
“Together with the F-35 Joint Program Office, we recognize the critical role the F-35 plays in supporting our customers’ global missions and the need to deliver this capability affordably,” said Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of the F-35 program.
Under the contracts, Lockheed Martin will support critical sustainment activities for aircraft currently in the fleet, and build enterprise capacity to support the future fleet of more than 3,000 F-35 aircraft. The company will also provide industry sustainment experts for base and depot maintenance, and pilot and maintainer training.
The contracts cover fleetwide data analytics and supply chain management for part repair and replenishment as well.
“These contracts represent more than a 30% reduction in cost per flying hour from the 2020 annualized contract, and exemplify the trusted partnership and commitment we share to reduce sustainment costs and increase availability for this unrivaled 5th generation weapon system,” Lauderdale added.
The FY2021-2023 contracts represent a next step in reducing overall operations and support costs for the F-35 program, which are shared between government and industry.