Lockheed to provide modification kits, tooling for F-35 air systems

March 6 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin Corp. will provide kits and tooling for modifications to the F-35 Lightning II fighter plane air system under a $32.7 million, the Defense Department announed.

The contract, announced Tuesday, calls for procurement of modification kits and special tooling for retrofitting air systems already delivered to the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and non-Defense Department and Foreign Military Sales customers.

Work will be performed at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth, Texas, facility, with a target completion date of August 2027.

In February the company was awarded a $90 million contract modification to reduce the purchase cost of the aircraft.

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, a former executive of Lockheed Martin competitor Boeing, has been critical of the F-35's price, which currently stands at about $90 million for each aircraft.

The full value of the contract has been obligated to Lockheed at the time of award, with $2.1 million expected to expire at the end of the current fiscal year.