MARIETTA, Ga., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday it has won a new $5 billion order from the U.S. Air Force to build 60 more F-22 Raptor fighters.
The total value of the company's contract with the USAF is now worth $7.3 billion. The aircraft will be built through 2011 "at a rate of 20 per year, with deliveries starting in late 2008," Lockheed Martin said in a statement.
"The multi-year contract allows us to generate savings for the taxpayer and continue to deliver the most capable aircraft in the world to the men and women defending our nation," said Larry Lawson, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics executive vice president and F-22 program general manager. "We have worked with our industry partners and the Air Force to make this a win-win for everyone. The F-22 provides a revolutionary capability that will help to deter aggression for the next four decades."
The USAF has now ordered 183 F-22 Raptors. "According to the U.S. Air Force and verified by a recent RAND Corporation study, the multi-year contract is estimated to save approximately $400 million over Lots 7, 8 and 9 (60 aircraft), compared to a corresponding annual procurement program. This equates to a savings of $6.85 million per aircraft," Lockheed Martin said.
"To date, 105 Raptors have completed final assembly at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Ga. So far, 99 Raptors have been delivered to the Air Force. Raptors are built at a rate of approximately two per month," it said.
Lockheed Martin noted that the F-22 was being built with Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Parts and subsystems for the aircraft are produced by nearly 1,000 other companies in 44 U.S. states. "F-22 production takes place at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics facilities in Marietta, Ga.; Fort Worth, Tex.; Palmdale, Calif.; and Meridian, Miss., as well as at Boeing's plant in Seattle, Wash. Final assembly and initial flight testing of the Raptor occur in Marietta," the statement said.
