Lockheed Martin nabs $1.4B in F-35 contracts

Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin was awarded three contracts totaling $1.4 billion for the F-35 program this week, according to the Pentagon.

The largest deal, worth $1.3 billion, is a one-year deal for support and training for the United States' F-35 program, with more than half the work taking place at Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas, worksite, the Department of Defense said on Monday.

The deal is funded by a combination of sources, including fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and Air National Guard, as well as foreign military sales funds and other funds from foreign partners.

The Department of Defense awarded two smaller F-35-related contracts to Lockheed this week.

One, a $101.5 million contract, funds sustainment services for Britain's F-35 program. The other, a $46 million contract, covers production and delivery of a redesigned electronic warfare/counter measures quad-channel for U.S. and foreign F-35s.

Lockheed delivered 123 F-35s to the U.S. military and international partners in 2020, falling short of its goal of producing 141 aircraft this year but meeting its revised target.

In May, the company predicted it would be 18 to 24 planes short of its target, due to supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.