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Department of Defense awards contract for 240 F-35 Lightning II planes

Lockheed Martin received the $1.377 billion contract for slow-rate production and maintenance of the multi-role fighters.

By Stephen Carlson
Production and maintenance on the 140 F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighter planes ordered by the Department of Defense recently will mostly take place in Fort Worth, Texas, El Segundo, Calif., and Warton, Britain. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin
Production and maintenance on the 140 F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighter planes ordered by the Department of Defense recently will mostly take place in Fort Worth, Texas, El Segundo, Calif., and Warton, Britain. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin

May 1 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $1.377 billion contract for low-rate initial production of 130 Lot 12 F-35 Lightning II fighter planes. The contract includes parts, maintenance, and other services for the program, the Department of Defense announced.

In addition the Lot 12 F-35 production for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corp and other non-Department of Defense and foreign customers, the contract provides for initial production of 110 Lot 13 and Lot 14 F-35 Lighting II fighter planes for non-U.S. Department of Defense participants and foreign sales customers.

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Most of the work will be done in Ft. Worth, Texas, El Segundo, Calif., and Warton, Britain., with the rest spread among Florida, New Hampsire, Maryland and Japan.

The $1.337 billion is obligated at the time the contract was awarded, with none of the funds set to expire at the end of the year.

Of the total contract, $315.5 million is set for the U.S. Air Force, $128 million is allocated for the U.S. Marine Corps, and $43.5 million for the U.S. Navy for the program. The remainder quarter of of the contract, about $364.6 million, will be directed toward military sales customers.

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The contracted work is expected to be completed in December 2018. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

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