Lockheed awarded $158M for support of U.S., foreign F-35 programs

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract for support of modification and retrofit activities for air systems for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

The deal, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $158.2 million under the terms of a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, which modifies a previous basic ordering agreement.

The contract enables Lockheed Martin to provide program management, non-recurring and recurring engineering services for the modification and retrofit of delivered air systems for the F-35, along with other services, for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense participants and foreign military sales customers.

Work on the contract will occur in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be complete in February 2019.

The total amount of the contract has been obligated to Lockheed Martin at the time of award from Air Force and Marine Corps fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement funds, Air Force fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement funds, Navy fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement funds, and non-Department of Defense participant and foreign military sales funds.

More than $57.6 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, the Pentagon said.