Lockheed Martin wins $64M contract for F-35 work

March 13 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin received a $64.6 million contract to perform work on the integrated core processor used by the F-35 aircraft.

The order includes services for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and international partners. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the work aims to alleviate diminishing manufacturing source constraints projected under F-35 production Lot 15.

Work on the contract will be performed at Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be complete by March 2019.

The company received $29 million in fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds at the time of the contract award. The Naval Air Systems Command will oversee the operation.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th-generation multirole fighter aircraft being procured by three U.S. military branches and a number of allied forces. The plane was designed to replace a variety of platforms, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The aircraft's integrated core processor is referred to as the "brain" of the fighter, and was produced during the F-35's development stages.